Italy: Bodies of 12 migrants including two pregnant women arrive in Sicily after drowning in shipwreck

More than 1,600 migrants were brought to shore on Friday and Saturday in a number of operations in the Mediterranean coordinated by the Italian coastguard.Among those rescued on Saturday were over 700 migrants found sailing off Libya’s coasts on inflatable dinghies. A coastguard ship took them to Palermo in Sicily.

Twelve people were found dead on one dinghy, which was said to have been sinking by the time rescuers arrived.As the Europe-bound exodus continues, seven suspected people smugglers were arrested in Sicily.