Italian and French ships have rescued nearly 3,7000 migrants off the coast of Libya, announced the Italian coastguard.
According to the coastguard, rescue operations are continuing after the migrants were rescued from wooden and inflatable boats in a total number of 17 operations.
This year, more than 1,750 people, including children, have been killed. In the same period last year, 96 people had perished at sea.
On Saturday, at least three people were killed after a boat carrying migrants sunk off the coast of Egypt. Border police rescued 31 from the sea, including 13 Syrians, 15 Sudanese, two Eritreans and one Egyptian.
Controversy has erupted in the international community after Italy abandoned its Mare Nostrum search-and-rescue operations in 2014 after several EU members said they would no longer fund it.
International human rights groups and organizations have called on the EU to recommence search-and-rescue operations and to implement new policies after more than 800 were killed when a boat sank in April.
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