Over 500 migrants rescued from overcrowded boat in Mediterranean

Rome, August 31 (RHC)-- More than 500 refugees were rescued from an overcrowded fishing boat off of the Italian island of Lampedusa over the weekend.  The boat had reportedly departed from Libya.  Some of the refugees showed signs of having been physically abused or tortured, and Italian officials are investigating whether some of the refugees had been wrongfully imprisoned in Libya.

Meanwhile, Reuters reports European Union officials are planning a coordinated response to block large numbers of Afghan refugees from arriving in Europe.  This comes as the United Nations says some half a million Afghans could flee by the end of the year following the Taliban’s seizure of Afghanistan.