The Italian Coast Guard said Saturday that over 1,300 migrants were rescued in 13 operations on Friday trying to cross the strait between Sicily and Tunisia on 10 inflatable rafts, two wooden boats and one barge, while 300 more were saved earlier on Saturday.
The search and rescue operations involved the Italian Coast Guard, the European Union’s Operation Sophia (EUNAVFOR Med Sophia) and the vessels of a number of international non-governmental organizations.
In 2016, Italy saw record 181,000 migrant arrivals with over 5,000 having died at the sea in attempts to reach Europe from the North African coast, Sputnik reported.
On Friday, Italy and Libya, being one of the main gateways to Europe for many migrants, signed a memorandum of understanding stipulating fight against illegal human trafficking and strengthening border control.