A total of 664 African migrants reached Sardinia's port city of Cagliari on Monday, including 30 children and 134 women, five of whom were pregnant, Italian officials said.
The migrants had been rescued off Libya's coast and arrived aboard the Norwegian ship Siem Pilot. At least 150 were believed to have scabiees
Most of the migrants were from Nigeria but some came from Eritrea, Somalia and Gambia. They underwent initial medical checks and identification procedures at the port before being transferred to reception centres in Sardinia and on the Italian mainland.
More than 613,000 migrants and refugees have crossed the Mediterranean this year and over 3,000 have perished at sea, the International Organization for Migration said Friday.
One million people are expected to seek refuge in Europe this year amid the biggest migration crisis it has faced since World War II.
