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Italy recovers 14 dead on smugglers boats in 2 days

Posted at 11:20 AM, Oct 23, 2016
and last updated 2016-10-23 11:20:50-04

MILAN (AP) -- Italian officials say that 14 bodies have been recovered in a two-day period on smugglers' boats packed with migrants making the perilous journey across the Mediterranean.

The Italian Coast Guard says the dead included a 25-year-old pregnant woman. In all 5,700 migrants were rescued from dozens of small boats and rubber dinghies between Friday and Saturday.

Premier Matteo Renzi appealed to his European partners to come up with a fundamental solution to the migrant issue during a visit to Sicily on Saturday, saying "we cannot go on this way." He called for financial penalties for eastern European countries that refuse to take in migrants.

The International Organization for Migrants says at least 3,650 migrants have died crossing the Mediterranean this year.