German NGO rescues 800 in six operations, heading to Italy

By COLLEEN BARRY
Associated Press

MILAN (AP) — A rescue ship carrying nearly 400 migrants picked up another 400 people from a two-tier wooden boat that had started to sink overnight in the central Mediterranean Sea. A German charity that operates the ship said Thursday that a distress call from the crowded boat originated in Malta’s search and rescue area, and that Maltese authorities failed to respond. The nongovernmental organization Sea-Eye said its rescue ship therefore traveled for about six hours to reach the sinking boat. Sea-Eye 4 was en route Thursday to Italy’s Lampedusa island. Separately, the Italian coast guard said it rescued nearly 200 migrants in two separate operations off southern “toe” of Italy’s mainland on Wednesday night.