OTRANTO, Italy (AP) -- The Italian navy rescued 461 would-be immigrants, including
128 children, found adrift Wednesday on a rusty freighter in stormy seas off Italy's southern
coast.

Rescuers towed the ship to the port of Otranto, where scores of the passengers required
treatment for dehydration.

Most of those aboard the freighter were ethnic Kurds from Iraq, police spokesman Riccardo
Gawlak said. Palestinians, Afghanis, Syrians and Indians also were on board.

The navy received a distress signal from the vessel late Tuesday and boarded the ship
Wednesday morning a few miles off shore.

Authorities later arrested five Turks. Officials said they suspected the five were the vessel's
captain and crew and that they tried to hide among the passengers.

Authorities believe the vessel, the Diler, left the Turkish port of Izmir eight days ago. The
passengers said they had little food, water or protection from the cold.

People-smuggling is a serious problem along Italy's coast, with smugglers charging refugees
-- mainly from Kosovo, Turkey and North Africa -- large sums for the journey.

Kurds who ask for asylum typically are released while Italy considers their request, allowing
them to head toward job markets elsewhere in Europe.
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The Kurdistan Observer
www.kurdistanobserver.com

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