Italian navy rescued 896
migrants crossing the Mediterranean by boat on Thursday night, after the government warned of an "emergency" caused by a surge in
new arrivals.
Three navy warships and two
coast guard patrol boats took on the migrants in the Mediterranean and they
were then transferred to other vessels and taken to ports in Sicily, the navy
said in a statement.
In Geneva, the UN refugee
agency UNHCR estimated 6,000 people had been rescued by the Italian navy from
over 40 overcrowded boats in the past four days.
UNHCR spokeswoman Melissa
Fleming said the migrants had set off from northern Libya "and many were
fleeing violence, conflict and persecution".
"Main countries of
origin include Syria, Eritrea, Somalia, Nigeria, Gambia, Mali and Senegal,"
she said.
Syrians made up the highest
number landing in Italy in 2013 with over 11,300 arrivals reported.
The anti-immigration Northern
League, a small but vociferous opposition party, has called for migrants to be
sent back and, along with a series of far-right parties, accuses the government
of failing to act.
