Italian forces rescued almost 300 migrants overnight, Sicilian media reported today.
95 persons arrived on a dinghy near Pozzallo and were picked up by a rescue launch. The group, consisting mostly of Somalis and Eritreans, included 20 women.
A group of 195 migrants was also rescued from a fishing boat 40 miles off Lampedusa. The warship Bettega disembarked some on Lampedusa and is taking others to the Italian mainland.