German charity ship taking 108 rescued migrants to Italy

ROME (AP) — A German charity says its rescue ship is bringing 108 migrants to a port in northern Italy after rescuing them from unseaworthy vessels in the central Mediterranean. The Sea-Eye 4 rescued a first group of 68 migrants last week, then sailed Saturday toward another vessel in distress. After Sunday’s rescue of 45 migrants from the second vessel, the charity ship headed Monday toward Italy. Sea-Eye, the charity operating the boat, didn’t say when it expected to reach Livorno, the port assigned by Italian authorities. Human smugglers, many of them based in Libya, launch flimsy vessels toward Italian shores, typically after charging migrants thousands of dollars for the dangerous journey.