More than 1,000 people were rescued from the Mediterranean over the weekend, with migrants attempting to cross into Europe, often on unseaworthy boats, according to rescuers.
The Libyan coastguard said Sunday that it had rescued 152 migrants, including children, from two boats in bad condition, with one of them sinking shortly after rescue. However, no drownings were reported.The rescue was carried out on Saturday in two separate incidents, one near the city of Zuwara in north-western Libya and the other east of the capital, Tripoli, the navy's media office reported.
The migrants, including three children and 19 women, were transported to a naval base in Tripoli, the navy's media office added on its Facebook page.
Aid organization Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) also reported Sunday that its Aquarius rescue boat, operated by the organization SOS Mediterranee, had 629 migrants on board from six different
operations.
The organization said one of the rescues, involving an inflatable boat, had been particularly troublesome, with 40 people falling into the water.
After rescuing 229 people, the Aquarius also took 400 more on board, previously rescued by the Italian navy, coastguard and merchant ships, MSF said. They included 123 unaccompanied minors, 11 children
and seven pregnant women.
In addition, the Spanish navy brought about 300 people to safety in the region over the weekend, including several children, on eight different boats, the navy reported on Twitter.
Following a cooperation agreement reached between the Libyan coastguard and the European Union last year, the number of migrants arriving in Italy via the Mediterranean has fallen sharply.
