Italian coast-guards said Friday they had intercepted about 300 would-be immigrants sailing across the Mediterranean Sea on a 12-metre-long wooden boat, DPA reported. All of the immigrants, whose nationality was not immediately known, were escorted to the Sicilian island of Lampedusa, where they were identified ahead of being transferred to the island's holding centre. The boat was intercepted overnight by an Italian navy vessel, about 12 miles south of Lampedusa. A smaller boat with 32 immigrants on board was also escorted by coastguards Friday. Thousands of immigrants from Africa, Asia and the Middle East attempt to reach Italy illegally each year.
