Italy rescuing more migrants in Mediterranean
An Icelandic Coast Guard ship was towing a cargo vessel to Italy with about 450 migrants who were abandoned by smugglers, leaving the vessel navigating without a crew, authorities said Friday.
Italian Coast Guard Commander Filippo Marini said that after several hours of struggling in rough seas, rescue teams managed to secure the Ezadeen for towing toward the southern Calabrian region. The Icelandic ship, part of a new European patrol force to aid migrants at sea, was doing the towing.
Children and pregnant women were among the migrants, most of who were believed to be Syrian, said Marini. The Sierra-Leone-flagged cargo ship apparently set sail from Turkey, he said.
