Around 6,800 migrants rescued, baby girl born on Italian navy ship

Italy: Around 6,800 migrants were rescued from overcrowded boats crossing to Europe over the weekend, including a mother who gave birth to a baby girl on an Italian navy ship, the coast guard said.

Numbers risking the journey in search of a better life have continued to rise two weeks after as many as 900 people drowned in the worst Mediterranean shipwreck in living memory.

Crew from the Italian naval vessel Bettica found the woman in labor on a boat overnight -- one of 34 vessels intercepted over the weekend. A photo posted online showed her new daughter sleeping in a makeshift cradle decorated with a pink bow.

"Both mother and daughter are in good health," the navy said in a statement.