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More than 500 Africans were rescued from a shipwreck off the Italian coast (Photo: Valentina Pop)

Italy rescues 500 Libya refugees from shipwreck

by Valentina Pop, Brussels,

More than 500 refugees who travelled from Libya, mostly sub-Saharan Africans, were rescued in the early hours of Saturday morning (8 May) after their overloaded boat sank a dozen miles from the Italian coast of Lampedusa.

The Italian coast guard managed to save all 528 migrants, including women and babies, during a dramatic operation around 3 am on Sunday, after the fishing boat hit some rocks and started sinking.

"It was a difficult situation. Our patrol boats couldn't come clos...

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More than 500 Africans were rescued from a shipwreck off the Italian coast (Photo: Valentina Pop)

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