Nearly 800 refugees arrive in Europe

ROME, Italy

As many as 795 refugees trying to reach Europe by sea from north Africa were rescued by Italian and EU vessels off the coast of Libya in seven operations last weekend coordinated by the Italian Coast Guard, officials said Monday.

The coast guard said that the refugees were plucked from overcrowded boats and dinghies by the guard's boats, a rescue boat manned by the Medecins sans Frontieres aid organization and vessels of the EU joint naval task force.

Some 77 of the refugees, including dozens of unaccompanied minors, were taken by a Maltese coast guard vessel to the Sicilian port of Pozzallo where two pregnant women among those rescued were rushed to hospital.

Police arrested four Egyptians among the 77 on suspicion of being people smugglers ferrying the others to Italy.

Meanwhile the Italian Foreign and Defense Ministries strongly denied reports in Libya that Italian special forces soldiers had shot and killed the alleged head of Libya's main people smuggling gang together with eight of his henchmen. Nuri Abu Sahmain, the president of the Libyan Congress (GNC) had been quoted by media as accusing Italy of the reported assassination in Tripoli of Salah Al-Maskhout, head of a militia based in Zuwara.

Al-Maskhout, formerly an officer in the army of former Libyan leader Col. Muammar Gaddafi, was reported dead by the Libyan Herald newspaper though Al-Maskhout himself was quoted Monday as telling the website Migrant Report that he was alive. The site said another people smuggling kingpin had been assassinated.