30 irregular migrants missing after boat capsizes off Libya

ROME (AA): Italy rescued at least 17 irregular migrants while 30 others are still missing after their boat capsized off the coast of Libya in the Mediterranean.

The Italian Coast Guard Command said they conducted a rescue operation targeting the boat carrying 47 people about 177 kilometers (110 miles) off the coast of Libya after being alerted by the Alarm Phone charity, which picks up calls from migrant vessels in distress, and receiving a request for support from Libyan authorities.

It added that two commercial ships in the region and a patrol plane of the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex) are continuing to search for the missing migrants.