Italian Coastguards board abandoned migrant ship

The Ezadeen is being towed to an Italian port by an Icelandic ship that is part of an EU mission in
                                                                    the area

Italian authorities have taken control of a migrant ship that was abandoned with 450 passengers, thought to be Syrian, off the Italian coast.

After a rescue team managed to board the ship it is being towed to an Italian port.

It comes after another migrant ship was abandoned earlier this week, with around 796 passengers, also off the Italian coast.

Italian coastguard Cmdr Filippo Marini told reporters that the vessel was being towed to a port by an Icelandic ship, as part of an EU Frontex Control Mission.

"Children and pregnant women were among the immigrants."

He added that "The 73-metre (240ft) Ezadeen was believed to have set sail from Turkey, although earlier reports suggested it was sailing from Cyprus."

The alarm was raised on the vessel by one of the immigrants using the onboard maritime radio, who told the Italian coastguard. "We are without crew, we're heading towards the Italian coast and we have no-one to steer."

The Ezadeen was built almost 50 years ago and is a livestock carrier. It appears to have been registered to a Lebanese company, who has come under the control of human traffickers.

Rob Watson, BBC analyses the journey to Italy on the Mediterranean "The Ezadeen and the plight of its unfortunate passengers are part of an often unreported wave of human misery and hardship that sees hundreds of people try to cross the Mediterranean every day to reach Europe.
Last year it is estimated that nearly 3,500 refugees died trying to attempt the crossing, while another 200,000 were rescued."

The first ship, the Blue Sky M, carrying 796 people, was abandoned and left on autopilot by its crew, believed to be people-traffickers.

Italian coastguards brought it under control and safely docked it at the Italian port of Gallipoli on Wednesday.