Rome, Oct 6 (IANS/AKI): A total of 881 migrants were rescued from the Mediterranean in two separate operations, Italian Coast Guard has said.
Irish ship Samuel Beckett rescued 242 migrants while British ship Enterprise saved 639 others.
Some 131,000 refugees and migrants reached Italy by boat from January to September, the UN refugee agency UNHCR said.
Over half a million asylum seekers have arrived in Europe so far this year. The figure is likely to top one million by the end of the year.