Two dead, 368 rescued from capsized S. Korea ferry: official

SEOUL: Two bodies have been recovered and 368 people rescued from a South Korean ferry that capsized at sea Wednesday with 477 passengers and crew on board, a senior government official said.

"So far, 368 have been rescued," Lee Gyeong-Og, the vice minister of security and public administration, told a press briefing in Seoul

He also confirmed that two people had been killed, including one female crew member.

Italian navy says nearly 900 migrants rescued

ROME: Italy has rescued 896 migrants crossing the Mediterranean by boat in the past 24 hours, the navy said on Friday, after the government warned of an "emergency" caused by a surge in new arrivals.

Three navy warships and two coast guard patrol boats took on the migrants who are now being transferred to other vessels and taken to ports in Sicily for identification, the navy said in a statement.

The anti-immigration Northern League, a small but vociferous opposition party, has called for migrants to be sent back and, along with a series of far-right parties, accuses the government of failing to act.

Interior Minister Angelino Alfano has appealed for more assistance from the European Union but migrant rights campaigners say the real fault is with failures in Italy´s immigration and asylum system.

Activists say Italy´s immigration centres are full and asylum-seekers are being put up in temporary or private facilities like hotels which are not offering adequate assistance to the new arrivals.