Spanish NGO rescues migrants from Mediterranean

The Spanish charity Open Arms has rescued 372 people seeking to cross the central Mediterranean Sea to Europe in unseaworthy boats in three operations over a 24-hour, officials said Sunday.

The rescue ship remained at sea and is seeking a safe port for the rescued people, including some who need medical attention and many who are suffering dehydration.

In the largest rescue, the Open Arms picked up 294 people, mostly Egyptians, from an overcrowded barge in waters south of Malta in a nighttime operation.

The people rescued said they had been at sea for four days, and many were suffering dehydration. Before that, the Open Arms rescued 59 migrants from Syria, Egypt, Sudan and Eritrea.