Italian coastguard in rescue of two fishing boats carrying 1,200 people

Operation comes as attempted crossings of Mediterranean from north Africa surge over weekend

The Italian coastguard said on Monday it was carrying out a rescue operation involving two fishing boats with a total of 1,200 passengers on board, as the number of people attempting to cross the Mediterranean from north Africa surged over the weekend.

One vessel carrying about 800 people was more than 120 miles (190 km) south-east of the Sicilian city of Syracuse, the coastguard said.