Italian Coast Guard Rescues 414 Boat Migrants Including 4 Newborns

Tuesday’s rescues were carried out in an area between 25 and 35 miles (56 km) from the coast of Libya by Italian coast guard ships activated as part of European Union rescue mission Triton, which replaced Italy’s broader operation Mare Nostrum.

As many as 40 African migrants have reportedly drowned off the Libyan coast after their overcrowded inflatable boat capsized and sank.

Most of the migrant boats are not seaworthy resulting in mishaps before reaching their destination. One survivor recalled how the boat started taking in water and the weak rubber began to deteriorate as the boat sunk.

All of the migrants are believed to have been from Sub-Saharan Africa, including Senegal, Mali and Benin, Save the Children spokeswoman Giovanna Di Benedetto told the BBC.

“Eighty-eight people were rescued but the others perished at sea”, he said, adding that a claim that the sinking was an accident had still to be verified.

A team from the charity who interviewed some of the survivors said up to 7 children, aged about 15 or 16, are also believed to have died in the incident.

The aid group said some of the 80 survivors of the crossing who were brought ashore Thursday in Augusta, Sicily, reported the deaths that occurred the previous day when the dinghy they were travelling on took in water.

A child cheers at the photographer as migrants sit after…

More than 1,900 migrants have died so far this year making the perilous journey across the Mediterranean to Europe.

Dozens of people died this week as they were trying to reach Italy from Libya on a dinghy, aid workers said, in the latest maritime tragedy involving migrants crossing the Mediterranean.