Rome:
Italian police say rescue crews in the Mediterranean have saved some 400 illegal migrants whose boat was tossed against rocks after the steering malfunctioned.
Financial police official Fabrizio Pisanelli said the steering stopped working as the boat was nearing the port on the island of Lampedusa early on Sunday morning. Strong wind pushed the boat against rocks, throwing migrants overboard.
Three police officials who had boarded the boat in open seas helped control the situation, and rescuers reached the migrants immediately, saving them all. Pisanelli said they included women and children.
Tens of thousands of migrants have fled unrest in northern Africa since January, most arriving at Lampedusa, the nearest Italian port to Africa.
Financial police official Fabrizio Pisanelli said the steering stopped working as the boat was nearing the port on the island of Lampedusa early on Sunday morning. Strong wind pushed the boat against rocks, throwing migrants overboard.
Three police officials who had boarded the boat in open seas helped control the situation, and rescuers reached the migrants immediately, saving them all. Pisanelli said they included women and children.
Tens of thousands of migrants have fled unrest in northern Africa since January, most arriving at Lampedusa, the nearest Italian port to Africa.
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