ROME - More than 400 suspected illegal immigrants in four separate boats have been intercepted off the coast of Sicily, the Italian coastguard said Friday.
One boat containing 208 people, including 57 women and 19 children, was seized in the early hours of the morning around 20 kilometres (12 miles) from Sicily by a border patrol speedboat.
The border guards had been searching the waters after receiving warning from Maltese coastal authorities.
Two more boats were stopped Friday morning near Sicily, one with six women and a newborn, another with 36 suspected illegal immigrants.
A boat was intercepted Friday afternoon in Sardinian waters with 132 suspected Palestinian and Kurdish illegal immigrants aboard.
Nearly 100 people were intercepted Thursday between the coasts of Sicily and Sardinia.
The numbers of migrants arriving in Italy via sea has decreased since the beginning of 2007, according to numbers published on Tuesday by the Italian interior ministry.
Around 12,400 have been intercepted so far this year, down from more than 14,500 during the same period in 2006.
08/31/2007 19:03 GMT