Hundreds of migrants rescued off Italian coast, 5 bodies recovered

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An Italian coast guard statement said on Sunday that about 700 migrants were rescued on Saturday off the southern coast of Italy, while five bodies were recovered.

This comes at a time when the flow of migrants is increasing across the Mediterranean in a period of less sea turmoil.

Most of the 674 migrants were found in a fishing boat about 200 km off the coast of Calabria, while others were recovered from the waters.

A merchant ship, coast guard and money police carried out search and rescue operations.

The statement added that the migrants were taken to the coastal cities of Sicily and Calabria on Sunday morning, and the five bodies were taken to a mortuary in a Sicilian hospital.

Data from the Italian Interior Ministry showed that more than 34,000 asylum seekers and migrants have arrived in Italy since the beginning of the year, up from 25,500 in the same period last year.

On Sunday morning, the Norwegian-flagged ship, the Ocean Viking, spotted a rubber boat packed with migrants in international waters off the Libyan coast and rescued 87 people, including 57 unaccompanied minors, the ship's organizers wrote on Twitter.

On Saturday, the Sea-Watch ship of a German non-profit organization rescued more than 400 migrants, including many children and two pregnant women, as the group sailed in four overcrowded boats.

Sea-Watch said calm seas and winds helped bring migrants to Italian coasts.

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