ROME, Sept. 6 (Xinhuanet) -- Another boat carrying 150 illegal immigrants was rescued by the coast guard off southern Italy on Monday and was towed to the island of Lampedusa off Sicily, local media reported Monday.

    Authorities said about 150 asylum seekers, packed in the small wooden boat, will be taken to a reception center for first-aid assistance.

    Lampedusa, closer to the coast of Tunisia than to the Italian mainland, is often in the headlines because of the large number ofimmigrant arrivals.

    Last month 275 immigrants, including 89 children, arrived in Lampedusa, the largest single group ever landing there.

    Two days after their arrival, Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi met Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi to discuss ways of stepping up cooperation in fighting illegal immigration.

    They agreed to set up joint land, sea and air patrols, and establish reception centers in Libya, a major staging post for immigrants trying to reach Europe, to stem the tide of illegal immigration from the north African country. Enditem