Italy navy rescues 2,700 migrants, recovers 2 bodies

The Italian navy said on Monday it had rescued over 2,700 migrants from boats attempting to cross the Mediterranean from North Africa, and recovered two bodies off coast of Libya. ‘Over 2,700 people were rescued between Friday and Sunday by boats taking part in the ‘Mare Nostrum’ operation,’ it said in a statement, referring to a large-scale naval deployment that was begun after twin shipwrecks in October in which over 400 migrants died.

The bodies were recovered on Sunday, the navy said on its Twitter feed, without giving any further details. Some 93,000 boat immigrants have been plucked from rickety vessels in the Mediterranean since the start of the year.