Italian Coast Guard rescues 300 migrants from stormy seas

ROCCELLA JONICA, Italy (AP) — The Italian Coast Guard has rescued more than 300 migrants, most of them young men and boys from Egypt, from a storm-battered boat in waters off the southern “toe” of Italy’s mainland. The rescue began Saturday night and ended early Sunday when the migrants, soaked and shivering, were brought to the port of Roccella Jonica in the the Calabria region. While most migrants seeking to reach Italy in the central Mediterranean depart from Libya or Tunisia, authorities say an increasing number of traffickers’ boats aiming for European shores are plying a route that begins in Turkey. Red Cross volunteers handed the migrants plastic clogs, blankets, food and protective face masks as part of COVID-19 precautions