ROME – The Coast Guard in the Strait of Sicily record around 10,000 migrants saved and 28 perished in just two days, including three babies born on deck during the voyage to reach the Italian shore, Tuesday.

 Over the 48-hour period from Monday to Tuesday, the Italian Coast Guard have undertaken 72 rescue operations as the migrant death toll reached 28. On Tuesday alone, 4,600 were saved from approximately 30 boats.

 It was further discovered that aboard the ‘Dattilo’ ship, heading for the port of Catania, three babies were born. The new-borns were rescued and nursed by the rescue team of the Military Order of Malta, who said in a statement to Il Fatto Quotidiano, “the babies are currently in a good state of health.”

 In Regio Calabria, the corpse of a 25-year-old pregnant woman has also been found aboard the ship ‘Dignity’, carrying 417 migrants. The victim, who was five months pregnant, suffered a heart attack.

 Since the start of 2016 there have been around 142,000 migrants making the journey across the Mediterranean to start a new life in Italy. In the process,  approximately 3,100 have perished.

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