870 more migrants rescued from the Mediterranean

870 more migrants were rescued on Friday from the coast of Italy by the Coast Guard and taken to port Augusta in southeastern Sicily.

These mostly African migrants especially from Somalia and Eritrea were rescued after their boat capsized in the Mediterranean.

A Somali man, who had been among those rescued, died overnight on the ship according to the Coast Guard spokesman. Several minors were also rescued during the operation.

“These people had a very difficult journey. Many of the minors are unaccompanied, including small children. Some of them are very small indeed,” Save the Children spokeswoman Giovanna Di Benedetto said at Augusta.

The rescue ship Aquarius traveled on Friday evening to Sicily according to SOS Mediterranean.

Before this operation, the Italian authorities had recorded the arrival of more than 14’300 people since the beginning of January, an increase of 55% compared to 2016 and 80% compared to 2015.