(Author: Libyan Gazette Editorial Staff)
Over 5,650 refugees were rescued in the Mediterranean by the Italian coast guard on Monday in one of its largest rescue missions to date.
The refugees were making the journey across the Mediterranean from Libya to Italy in about 40 boats.
A spokeswoman said one migrant had died and a pregnant woman had been taken by helicopter to a hospital on the Italian island of Lampedusa, halfway between Sicily and the Libyan coast.
In one of the 20 rescue operations conducted today, 725 refugees were saved off a single boat 50 kilometers off the Libyan coast. The spokesperson added that it is likely for the number of rescued refugees to go up to 6000 before the end of the day.
The International Organization for Migrants (IOM) said that Italy has received about 132,000 refugees since the beginning of this year. 3,054 refugees are reported to have died on their journey to Italy.