Italy coordinating to rescue 3000 migrants from 18 boats

The Italy's coastguard was coordinating the rescue of nearly 3,000 migrants off the Lybian coast after receiving SOS calls from 18 different crowded vessels, Italian reports said Saturday.

The rescue operation consisted of six boats from Italy and one from Norway. They were to get the migrants safely off 14 rubber dinghies and four other vessels carrying an estimated total of between 2,000 and 3,000 people.

The Navy ship Vega rescued 432 migrants from a boat in poor condition in the Strait of Sicily. Another rescue operation is under way by another Navy ship, the Cigala Fulgosi, getting close to a boat carrying an unknown number of migrants on board, according to Ansa news agency.

Earlier this week, eight non-EU citizens including a minor were arrested for allegedly steering a boat off Libya at last weekend killing 49 people. They were accused of multiple homicide and people smuggling.

The disaster was the latest in a string that has forced the EU to reinstate wide search-and-rescue operations. Some 700 migrants died on April 18 and more than 200 on Aug. 5.

According to estimates, since the beginning of this year 104,000 sea migrants have landed in Italy and nearly 250,000 have arrived in Europe so far in 2015. At least 2,300 people including many children have been reported to have lost their lives while attempting the dangerous crossing.

The European Union (EU) has tripled the search and rescue efforts and has announced a summit to be held in Valletta in November with key African countries to clamping down on smuggling networks, making returns more effective and showing solidarity with frontline countries.