Migrants from dozens of boats reach tiny Italian isles; charity ship rescues hundreds of people

By FRANCES D’EMILIO
Associated Press

ROME (AP) — Migrants from dozens of flimsy boats launched by smugglers in Tunisia have set foot on three tiny Italian islands off the coast of Sicily. While migrants rescued from more than 60 boats have disembarked on Lampedusa island, since Friday, some 250 people  reached the tourist island of Pantelleria unassisted. The Italian coast guard rescued nine survivors of a shipwreck near Marettimo, an island off western Sicily and recovered a man’s body on Sunday, while one migrant was believed missing, according to Italian state TV. Separately, a charity boat plucked to safety some 600 survivors in 15 separate operations. Pope Francis on Sunday decried migrant deaths at sea “an open wound” on humanity.