Italian navy rescues 834 boat migrants 200nm off Malta

Some 834 migrants who were rescued 200 nautical miles east off Malta were brought to the southern Italian port of Reggio Calabria, the Italian navy said Friday.

The rescue mission was coordinate by the Maltese rescue coordination centre. Both merchant vessels and the Italian naval were involved in the rescue mission.

The authorities said there were 482 Syrians, 177 Egyptians, 108 Palestinians, 36 Eritreans and 31 Sudanese in the group. They said four pregnant women and about 30 unaccompanied children were among them.

"Their medical condition is good," said local police chief Domenico Crupi told DPA news agency.

A record number of migrants from North Africa have arrived in Italy this year. On Wednesday the government said about 64,000 had arrived since January 1, more than an all-time year record of 63,000 recorded in 2011, in the wake of the Arab Spring uprisings.