1ST LEAD Italian coastguard: Almost 2,000 migrants rescued from Mediterranean By Alvise Armellini, dpa

Rome (dpa) - Some 1,984 migrants have been rescued from the Mediterranean, the Italian coastguard said Thursday, in the most recent joint rescue efforts from the Italian, Spanish and British navies, as well as the Doctors Without Borders (MSF) charity.The rescue tally from the past day and night was high for this time of the year, as sea arrivals of migrants normally decrease with the onset of winter.An Italian coastguard boat picked up 458 people; an Italian navy vessel about 300; a Spanish one 286; a British one 416; and the private rescue vessel run by MSF took on board another 524 people, a statement said.The Spanish and British vessels were operating as part of EUNAVFOR MED, the naval mission deployed by the European Union to go after migrant smugglers, but which also takes part in rescue operations.According to the International Organization for Migration, there were 2,478 migrant landings to Italy in November, compared to a peak of 23,186 in June.Since January 1, a total of 143,114 migrants are estimated to have entered Italy via the Mediterranean. Most of them are fleeing conflict and misery in Africa, including about 38,000 Eritreans, 20,000 Nigerians and 11,000 Somalis.