2,200 asylum-seekers rescued in Mediterranean, 10 bodies recovered

Italian coastguard says rescued people were rescued in 16 separate rescue operations as ten bodies are recovered from dinghy

6 November 2016, 9:18am

1 min read

More than 2,200 asylum-seekers have been rescued in the Mediterranean Sea as they tried to reach Europe, with 10 bodies also being recovered, Italy’s coastguard said in a statement.

The Italian coastguard said the asylum-seekers were taken on Saturday from 13 rubber dinghies, two small boats and one large vessel in 16 separate rescue operations.

A Spanish naval vessel and several ships operated by NGOs also took part in the rescues.

All of the 10 fatalities were found in the same dinghy.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) said this week that 4,220 migrants have died in the Mediterranean so far this year, compared with 3,777 all last year.

The IOM said some 159,000 people have reached Italy by sea this year.