and throughout the night there'll be a few boats docking around the island and further north on sardinia. there's another rescue operation that started today. this was led by the german navy. there's no details as such. just to give you an idea of the numbers. 4,000 that we are talking about now. in a couple of hours that number could have rich to five, 6,000 or 7,000. a huge influx to do with the weather conditions over the past few days. there has been a drop in the number of migrants arriving and the distress calls that the it -- italian coast guard had received. the weather has improved and they expect things to increase. >> i know the rescue operations are underway, but what do you hear as far as their stories, where they come from, what they flee? >> i can't gi you the details -- give you the details of those on board. the stories are the same. mainly people coming from sub-saharan africa fleeing war and poverty, travelling month, years, to earn the money to reach this point. some have been in prison some have been robbed. some have been raped. they have risked everything they had,