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Image: Irish Defence Forces
Image: Irish Defence Forces
Updated 6pm
SOME 399 MIGRANTS have arrived in Italy on board Irish naval vessel the LÉ Eithne.
The 280 men, 78 women and 41 children were rescued by the Irish ship in two operations over the weekend.
Footage provided by the Irish Defence Forces shows the migrants reaching the Taranto port in southern Italy at 7:40am local time.
Over 1,150 people have been rescued by the Irish operation in the 10 days in which it has been operating in the Mediterranean.
Speaking today on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland, Commander Brian Fitzgerald from the Navy Headquarters described the number of people being rescued as “biblical” in its proportion.
He added, however, that the number was in line with predictions, with approximately 200,000 migrants expected to land in Italy this year.
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The LÉ Eithne is set to sail back to its allocated area of operation this afternoon, he said.
The number of rescued migrants who have been transferred to Italy by boat this year has now passed 50,000, with close to 6,000 people being rescued by Irish, British and German naval ships in the Mediterranean over the weekend.
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