The Italian Air Force is rescuing hundreds of migrants stranded on a cargo ship abandoned in rough seas by smugglers in the Mediterranean.
The Air Force said late Thursday night it sent a helicopter from an air base in southern Italy to help the Ezadeen, a Sierra-Leone-flagged vessel, so Coast Guard officials can be lowered to secure the ship and doctors can also come aboard.
Coast Guard Cmdr. Filippo Marini said early Friday that a migrant had called for help saying: "'we're without crew, we're heading toward the Italian coast and we have no one to steer.'" Read more...
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