2,300 migrants rescued by Italian coast guard

ROME

Some 2,300 migrants were rescued in the Mediterranean Sea, Italian coast guard said in a statement on Thursday.

The Italian coast guard carried out 22 rescue operations and intercepted 2,300 refugees in 12 dinghies and 10 vessels off the Libyan coast en route to Italy.

The operations were backed by the European Union Naval Force Mediterranean and nongovernmental organizations, the statement said.

According to official figures from the Italian Interior Ministry, more than 45,500 migrants have arrived in Italy this year.

Reporting by Barış Seckin; Writing by Sibel Ugurlu