article_snippet.sent: Italy is the first port of call for migrants seeking new lives in Europe.
article_snippet.sent: Above, the Italian coast guard attempts to help a migrant boat .
article_snippet.sent: On Sunday alone, the Italian coast guard coordinated the rescue of migrants from 22 different vessels.
article_snippet.sent: Four coast guard ships and aircraft, nine merchant ships and a naval ship took part in the rescues as well as an Icelandic patrol vessel and two Italian Coast Guard vessels participating in the Triton.
article_snippet.sent: A map showing the long and arduous journey that thousands of migrants undertake every year, many of which are hoping to get to Palerno or other Italian coastal destinations .
article_snippet.sent: Above, rescuers reach over to a migrant boat .
article_snippet.sent: Four paramedics wheel an ill female migrant on a stretcher after she was rescued from a merchant vessel and flown to Malta .
article_snippet.sent: Caritas in Sicily launched an urgent appeal for help from volunteers as 1,000 migrants were expected to disembark in Palermo.
article_snippet.sent: The UNHCR called for more help for Italy saying that EU states need to devote more resources urgently to strengthen the naval operations and rescue migrants trying to make the dangerous crossing.
article_snippet.sent: It praised the work of Italian authorities that saved thousands of lives over the weekend.