Hundreds of people brought to Lampedusa, 7 dead

Seven migrants have died and some 280 have been rescued after they were discovered in a packed wooden boat off the coast of the Italian island of Lampedusa, the Italian Coast Guard said Tuesday.

Three people were dead when the Coast Guard arrived for the rescue in rough waters, and a further four died of hypothermia after being transported to hospital in Lampedusa.  Most of the migrants were from Egypt and Bangladesh. The migrants were found crowded into a 20-meter wooden boat. According to the United Nations refugee agency, over 122,000 migrants arrived in Europe in 2021 by crossing the Mediterranean.  Almost 2,000 people died during the attempt.