More Than 200 Migrants Rescued off Libyan Coast

The Italian coastguard has rescued 228 migrants off the Libyan coast in the Mediterranean Sea.

Reports said 38 women and one child were rescued in Friday's recovery effort. Those rescued were transferred to a navy boat that was patrolling in the area.

Separately, 80 people were rescued by Tunisian fishermen and taken to the coastal town of Zarzis in Tunisia.

The latest rescue efforts come after a tragic accident off the Catania coast in Italy just days ago , in which more than 800 people died.

Separately, an Italian court ordered two suspects behind the trafficking racket blamed for the accident to remain in jail.

Mohammed Ali Malek, the boat's 27-year-old Tunisian captain, and Mahmud Bikhit, a 25-year-old Syrian crew member, face charges of multiple manslaughter and aiding illegal immigration.

Malek maintains he was only a passenger on the overcrowded boat while others accuse him of being the boat's captain.