The Italian coast guard intervened on Friday night to rescue 138 migrants and refugees on a boat in distress in the central Mediterranean.
The group, comprising Bengalis, Egyptians, Pakistanis, Syrians and Palestinians and including 21 women and 17 minors, had departed from Sabratha in Libya.
The migrants and refugees were disembarked on Lampedusa, where there were already 383 people in the hotspot.
On Friday a total of 259 migrants and refugees arrived on the island in six separate landings.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © Copyright ANSA