Stranded Migrants Leave Ship At Italian Port

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Hundreds of migrants stranded on a cargo ship which was abandoned by its crew have safely disembarked at an Italian port.

The Sierra Leone-flagged ship, the Ezadeen, reached the port of Corigliano Calabro after a delicate operation by the Italian navy to take control of the ageing vessel.

It was initially believed to be carrying as many as 450 people but after docking the Italian authorities revised the count to 232 men, 54 women and 74 children.

The migrants, most of who are believed to be fleeing the war in Syria, were provided with food and water and given medical help. All were said to be in good health.

The ship, which usually carries cattle, was abandoned by people traffickers as it headed towards the southern tip of Italy.

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Gallery: Stranded Migrants Leave 'Ghost Ship' In Italy

Migrants smile after disembarking from the ship

The Ezadeen cargo ship was stopped by Italian authorities after smugglers sent it speeding toward the coast in rough seas with nobody at the helm

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The Sierra Leone-flagged vessel was towed to the Italian port of Corigliano after coastguard officials were lowered onto the ship by helicopter to secure it.

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Around 450 migrants were on board the ship, which apparently set sail from Turkey

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The 197ft-long ship was rescued floating around 40 miles off Capo di Leuca

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In a dramatic rescue mission, six coastguard officers were lowered from a helicopter onto the deck of the ship to set up a tow for the 40 kilometres (25 miles) to the Italian coast.

Rescue pilot Francesco Pastore told Sky News: "The mission was very difficult due to the conditions."

It is the second ship of its kind to be abandoned at sea in several days.

Coastguard Commander Filippo Marini said one of the migrants on board was able to operate the ship's radio and pleaded for help saying: "We're without crew, we're heading toward the Italian coast and we have no one to steer."

Before losing power, the ship had been moving at a brisk seven knots and had been spotted by a coastguard plane 80 miles offshore shortly after nightfall on Thursday.

The coastguard asked for assistance from Icelandic patrol boat Tyr, which was in the area on a mission with Frontex, the European Union's border agency.

The Tyr was able to draw alongside the runaway ship, but initially the weather conditions made boarding impossible.

The drama came two days after Italian sailors intercepted an unmanned freighter carrying more than 700 mostly Syrian migrants that had been heading for the rocks in Italy's Puglia region.

The Moldovan-registered Blue Sky M cargo ship got to within five miles of a disaster before six navy officers were lowered on to the ship by helicopter and succeeded in bringing it under control.

The vessel's human cargo included 60 children and two pregnant women, one of whom gave birth on board, according to the Italian Red Cross.

Many of the migrants on the ship were treated for hypothermia and broken limbs.

More than 170,000 people have been rescued by Italy in the last 14 months and it is estimated that hundreds, possibly thousands, have perished trying to make the crossing.

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