Dramatic Saves After Packed Migrant Boat Overturns in Med

Hundreds of migrants who survived the capsizing of a smugglers’ fishing boat were being brought to Italy Thursday

Acehnese fishermen are silhouetted by the rising sun as they rescue migrants who are stranded on their boat on the sea off East Aceh, Indonesia, Wednesday, May 20, 2015. AP Photo/S. Yulinnas

ROME—Hundreds of migrants who survived the capsizing of a smugglers’ fishing boat were being brought to Italy Thursday, including a Palestinian man who saved his wife by giving her his life jacket, then diving below the surface to grab their toddler daughter as she disappeared.

Military vessels and aircraft from a multi-nation operation were searching waters off Libya, a day after the 20-meter (66-foot) long boat overturned as rescuers were approaching. With seas warm and calm, rescuers expressed hopes others might be alive.

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