Spain rescues 472 migrants trying to cross Mediterranean Sea

Spain’s maritime rescue service has saved 472 people who were trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea into Europe over the past two days, AP reports. The service says that 17 people, including one woman, were rescued early Thursday from two inflatable rafts like those used at beaches and swimming pools. The spokeswoman said that 455 migrants were rescued Wednesday – 124 in the Strait of Gibraltar, and 331 further east. Two of the rescued, who were suffering severe hypothermia, had to be evacuated from rescue vessels by helicopters. The UN estimates that 2,262 migrants died while crossing the Mediterranean last year, when 57,000 migrants reached Spanish shores despite unauthorized border crossings into Europe hitting a five-year low.