{"id":311098,"date":"2017-04-17T06:00:53","date_gmt":"2017-04-17T06:00:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/citifmonline.com\/?p=311098"},"modified":"2017-04-17T06:00:53","modified_gmt":"2017-04-17T06:00:53","slug":"migrant-boats-thousands-saved-off-libyan-coast-over-easter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/2017\/04\/migrant-boats-thousands-saved-off-libyan-coast-over-easter\/","title":{"rendered":"Migrant boats: Thousands saved off Libyan coast over Easter"},"content":{"rendered":"
Thousands of migrants have been saved from the sea near Libya during one of the busiest weekends of the year for rescue workers.<\/p>\n
More than 2,000 people were rescued on Friday and 3,000 on Saturday in dozens of separate rescues, the Italian Coast Guard said.<\/p>\n
But at least seven people drowned as aid workers struggled to rescue more than 1,500 migrants in one operation.<\/p>\n
An eight-year-old boy was among the dead, rescue workers said.<\/p>\n
An earlier agency report said 20 bodies had been recovered by the Migrant Offshore Aid Station (Moas), but this was later corrected.<\/p>\n
Moas said its rescue started in the early hours of Saturday and had continued non-stop into Sunday afternoon.<\/p>\n
The group said it had rescued at least 453 people, but more than 1,000 remained in danger.<\/p>\n