Around 2,300 migrants were rescued off the Libyan coast on Thursday, according to the Italian coastguard.
Coastguard and military vessels were among others who helped to rescue the migrants, who were packed into wooden boats and rubber dinghies.
“About 2,300 migrants were rescued in the Mediterranean today,” the coastguard said in a statement.
Some 46,000 migrants had reached the Italian coast this year even before Thursday.
At least 1,229 people have drowned making the perilous trip over the years, according to the International Organization for Migration. This equates to one death in every 39 people who try to cross.
The latest wave of people picked up comes as Italy increases security ahead of next week’s G7 summit in Sicily.
The summit poses a challenge given that local authorities on the island have banned migrants from disembarking at Sicilian ports.
Southern mainland ports or and those in the of Sardinia will instead take the strain.
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