Over 2,000 Migrants and Refugees Rescued in Mediterranean

More than 2,000 migrants and refugees trying to reach Europe were plucked from the Mediterranean on Friday in a series of dramatic rescues as one person was found dead, officials and witnesses said.

An Italian coast guard spokesperson said 19 rescue operations by the coast guard or ships operated by non-governmental organizations had saved a total of 2,074 migrants and refugees on 16 rubber dinghies and three small wooden boats.

The medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres, MSF, said in a tweet that one teenager was found dead in a rubber boat whose passengers were rescued by its ship Aquarius.

"The sea continues to be a graveyard," MSF said in a Tweet.

The coast guard spokesperson confirmed that one person had died but gave no details.