650 migrants pulled to safety by rescuers

Italy: About 650 migrants have been pulled to safety by rescuers and five dead bodies recovered from boats in difficulty in the Mediterranean sea, off the coast of Libya, Italy's coastguard said on Wednesday.

The coast guard said an Italian navy ship, a vessel run by private rescue group MOAS and the Irish military ship James Joyce went to the rescue of six boats.
The James Joyce recovered the five bodies.

A coastguard spokesman said the real causes of the deaths were yet unknown, but said migrants frequently "travel in inhuman conditions, more than 100 people packed into dinghies that would be suitable for a few dozen".

Details about the migrants' nationalities could not be ascertain.

Migrants fleeing conflict and poverty in Africa, are packed into rickety boats by smugglers and often travel via the Mediterranean sea as they hope to reach Europe.

Italy is the focus for the migrants who hope to continue their journey to richer north European countries