EU must help Italy with migrant influx - UN

An influx of 6,000 migrants in the past four days has hugely stretched Italy's resources

The EU must help Italy to deal with a dramatic upsurge in migrants and refugees, the UN's refugee agency (UNHCR) has warned.

The UNHCR said as many as 6,000 migrants had been rescued by Italian authorities in the past four days.

The agency wants the EU to help to process arrivals, provide more reception facilities and find "durable solutions" for the migrants.

Italy has repeatedly called for more support for the EU.

The latest influx of migrants were making their way in about 40 boats from Libya.

The UN said they had come from Syria, Eritrea, Somalia, Nigeria, Gambia, Mali and Senegal.

They included many women, children and newborns.

The UN said the latest influx included many women and children

Many of the migrants come from war-torn Syria, with many others from sub-Saharan Africa