Migrants rescued off Cyprus' north coast
About 228 migrants, apparently refugees from Syria, have been rescued after their damaged ship drifted for hours in rough seas off Cyprus' northern coast, an official said Sunday.
Hasan Tacoy, transport minister of the Turkish Cypriot breakaway state in Cyprus' north, told The Associated Press that the migrants, including 25 children, have received medical check-ups and are now housed in a sports hall in the coastal town of Girne.
Apart from sea sickness during their 14-hour ordeal, the migrants are in good health, Tacoy said. Authorities are checking the identities of the migrants, who say they are Syrian and want to go to Italy. Their cases will be handled according to international norms regarding migrants, the official said.
Meanwhile, the Italian coast guard rescued nearly 600 migrants in Libyan waters in five operations in recent days, mostly from sub-Saharan Africa. The operations were carried out after Italian authorities received distress calls via satellite phones from the migrants' boats.
