More than 1,000 migrants were brought ashore to southern Italy on Saturday after coastguards launched major rescue operations for three boats struggling in rough seas off Calabria.
One coastguard vessel brought 584 people to the city of Reggio Calabria, while another escorted a packed fishing boat carrying 487 migrants into the port of Crotone, close to the scene of a February 26 shipwreck that killed at least 74 people.
More than 4,000 people have reached Italy since Wednesday, compared to about 1,300 for the whole of March last year, as the country's conservative government struggles to contain the influx, despite repeated promises to stem the flow. The body of a young girl was recovered on Saturday, bringing the death toll to 74. Seventy-nine people survived the shipwreck, but about 30 are still missing, presumed dead.
Her cabinet on Thursday introduced tougher jail terms for people smugglers and promised to open up more channels for legal migration. Late last year, it cracked down on charity rescue boats, accusing them of acting as a taxi service for migrants.
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