Italy rescues badly burnt migrants

Migrants with severe burns were rescued at sea by the Italian coastguard in the early hours of today.

One 25-year-old woman had died of her injuries onboard the dinghy.

It was carrying between 60 to 70 migrants from sub-Saharan Africa and was intercepted by the coastguard who found many of the people onboard suffering from severe burns, including young children.

The influx of migrants and refugees into Italy has not abated with new boats arriving on a daily basis. In one week, over 13,000 people have been rescued at sea.

The people suffering from burns have been taken to hospitals in Sicily and on the mainland where they will be treated for their injuries.

Around 20,000 migrants have reached the Italian coast this year, the International Organisation for Migration estimates, fewer than arrived in the first four months of last year, but the number of deaths has risen almost nine-fold.

Almost 450 people are thought to have died just this week.