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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
World
Angela Giuffrida in Rome

Italian coastguard in rescue of two fishing boats carrying 1,200 people

A photo released by the Italian coastguard of the rescue operation south-east of the Sicilian city of Syracuse
A photo released by the Italian coastguard of the rescue operation south-east of the Sicilian city of Syracuse. Photograph: Guardia Costiera/AFP/Getty Images

The Italian coastguard said on Monday it was carrying out a rescue operation involving two fishing boats with a total of 1,200 passengers on board, as the number of people attempting to cross the Mediterranean from north Africa surged over the weekend.

One vessel carrying about 800 people was more than 120 miles (190 km) south-east of the Sicilian city of Syracuse, the coastguard said.

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