Italy coast guards board abandoned migrant ship Ezadeen

A merchant ship with at least 400 migrants on board is said to be heading for the Italian coast.

The Ezadeen, sailing under the flag of Sierra Leone, has no crew on board and has lost power in rough seas off south-east Italy.

An Italian coast guard confirmed that one of its vessels is assisting in efforts to board the ship.

Almost one thousand migrants were rescued from another ship found abandoned without any crew early in the week.

The alarm was raised through a distress call from one of the migrants who managed to operate the maritime radio on board the Ezadeen.

The Ezadeen was built nearly 50 years ago and is a livestock carrier.

BBC