More than 1,100 migrants rescued off Italy in one day Published duration 6 February 2014

media caption Footage shows migrants being pulled aboard a landing ship. Courtesy Marina Militare

Italy's navy has rescued 1,123 people from inflatable boats in the space of 24 hours, as clandestine migration from North Africa reaches record levels.

The latest migrants were found in eight boats and a barge about 220km (135 miles) south-east of Lampedusa.

They included 47 women, four of them pregnant, and 50 children, all probably from sub-Saharan Africa, the navy said.

Meanwhile, at least seven migrants have drowned trying to reach the Spanish enclave of Ceuta in North Africa.

Local officials say the bodies of six men and a woman were found on a beach in neighbouring Morocco. The dead migrants were among hundreds of people who tried to enter Spanish territory on Thursday.

The Moroccan coastguard said it had picked up 150 of the migrants, while the rest swam back to shore.

All of the victims were reportedly from sub-Saharan Africa.

Some 2,000 migrants landed on Italian shores last month, nearly 10 times the number recorded in January 2013.

image copyright Marina Militare image caption Clandestine migrants were sighted in inflatable boats

image copyright Marina Militare image caption A landing craft was dispatched to take the migrants to safety

image copyright Marina Militare image caption Migrants were pulled off their inflatable boats

image copyright Marina Militare image caption The migrants were later transferred to the amphibious assault ship San Marco (on horizon) for their journey to the Italy

According to the government, last year saw an "incessant and massive influx of migrants" with a total of 42,925 arrivals by sea, or more than three times as many as in 2012.

The true number of migrants who died attempting the perilous crossing is unknown, but in October more than 400 people drowned in two shipwrecks near Lampedusa, the closest Italian territory to North Africa.

Wednesday saw better than usual weather conditions for the time of year.

Navy ships and helicopters began the rescue at 08:00 (07:00 GMT), continuing after darkness fell.

The migrants were put aboard an amphibious assault ship, the San Marco, and are due to arrive at the Sicilian port of Augusta on Friday morning.

Once in Italy, the migrants will be assessed to see if they have legitimate grounds for claiming asylum.

They have to satisfy the authorities that they are fleeing persecution and would face harm or even death if sent back to their country of origin.

Nearly three out of four asylum applications in EU states were rejected in 2012.

'Desperate attempt'

Hundreds of clandestine migrants tried to enter the Spanish territory of Ceuta on Thursday morning, in what Spain's El Pais newspaper said was "the first attempt at a mass border crossing this year".

The Moroccan authorities said some 200 migrants were involved in the attempt, while the authorities in Ceuta gave 400 as the figure.

Those who drowned were among a group trying to reach a sea wall which separates Ceuta from Morocco, the paper said.

Others tried to breach the border on foot, in a beach area known as El Tarajal.

According to El Pais, the migrants were making "a desperate attempt to escape Moroccan authorities".

None of them succeeded in reaching Ceuta, Spanish news agency Efe reported.

The territory lies just 15km across the sea from the Spanish mainland. Together with its fellow Spanish enclave Melilla, further east along the coast, it represents the EU's only land border with Africa, making Morocco a magnet for migrants seeking work or asylum in Europe.

On Sunday, the bodies of five people believed to have been African migrants were found in the Nador area of Morocco's northern coast, near Melilla.

Mediterranean migration routes