British warship launches rescue

A British warship in the Mediterranean launched a mission to rescue at least 500 migrants on Sunday, the Ministry of Defence said in a statement.

The MoD said a helicopter had identified four migrant vessels in distress.

"HMS Bulwark has now commenced rescue operations to recover those in the vessels," the statement said.

On Saturday, more than 2,000 migrants were rescued from five wooden boats in the Mediterranean and as many as seven other vessels have been reported at sea, the privately funded Migrant Offshore Aid Station (MOAS) and Italy's coastguard said.