Italian Coast Guard save 500 migrants, recover eight corpses

Rome Aug 1 (IANS/AKI) Italian Coast Guard on Tuesday said they rescued 500 migrants from four inflatable dinghies in the Mediterranean and recovered the bodies of eight people during the operations as the summer crossings continue.

A total of 10 781 migrants and refugees landed in Italy this month as of July 30 while 114 287 entered Europe over the same period of whom 85 percent reached Italy the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) said on Tuesday.

Over 2 380 people have perished in the Mediterranean through July - almost three-quarters of migrant deaths worldwide - the fourth year in a row that the figure as topped 2 350 the IOM reported.

IOM said it has observed "slower traffic to Italy this during mid-summer" and fewer deaths (approximately half of those recorded in July 2015 and 2016). But the 94 802 arrivals to Italy so far this year remain slightly higher than those recorded in the past two years it added.

--IANS/AKI
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