Over 3,000 migrants are rescued on Monday off the coast of Libya with the majority of them hailing from Eritrea and Somalia. One of the 20 boats contained over 700 refugees that were rescued 13 miles from Sabratha, Libya. They were rescued by two NGO’s and the Italian navy in the Mediterranean Sea </s> More than 700 migrants fleeing war-torn Libya have been rescued in the Mediterranean sea today.

Refugees fleeing the troubled country on small inflatable dinghies were rescued by emergency teams as they sailed toward the Italian coast, about 17 miles north of Sabratha, Libya, earlier this morning.

Members of Proactiva Open Arms NGO, a group set up to help rescue migrants at sea, helped pull them from their inflatable boats before handing them over to the Italian coastguards operating in the area.

Thousands of migrants try each year to flee Libya and make it to Italy but many drown during the crossing.

They cram into boats that are small and unsafe for the 190-mile perilous journey from Libya's shores.

A total of 4,027 migrants and refugees have perished since January trying to flee wars and poverty looking for a better life mainly in Europe, the International Organisation for Migration said last week.

Of that total, some 3,120 died trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea, including 120 who drowned off Libya's coastal town of Sabratha at the end of July, it said. </s> A Syrian man reacts after being rescued by members of Proactiva Open Arms NGO on September 21, 2016, in the Meditterranean sea off the coast of Libya. By Ricardo Garcia Vilanova (AFP/File)

Rome (AFP) - More than 5,600 migrants were rescued from distress boats off Libya Monday in one of the largest tallies for a single day since the current migration crisis erupted, Italy's coast guard said.

The rescues came on the third anniversary of a migrant ship fire and sinking near the island of Lampedusa which left 366 people dead and alerted the world to the unfolding drama in the Mediterranean. </s> ROME — The Italian coast guard says 6,055 migrants have been rescued in one day in the Mediterranean off Libya. Nine bodies were recovered.

The coast guard said it a total of 39 rescues Monday in the sea about 30 miles north of Tripoli. Smugglers took advantage of the first day of calm seas after days of rough waters to launch vessels crowded with migrants who pay them in hopes of reaching European shores.

Most of the vessels were rubber dinghies, but there were also two rafts.

Doctors Without Borders said the dead included a 23-year-old pregnant woman.

Italian coast guard and navy ships, as well as vessels in European Frontex sea patrols and several humanitarian organizations, participated in the rescues.

Two migrants needing medical care were flown to Sicily's Lampedusa island. </s> At least 6,000 refugees have been rescued in 24 hours after trying to reach Europe from Libya in about 40 boats.

The Italian coastguard said a total of 6,055 migrants had been rescued from the water, and nine bodies were recovered.

The rescue operation, which was coordinated by Italian authorities, was one of the largest seen in a single day.

It is thought Libyan traffickers took advantage of the first day of calm seas after several days of high waves to launch boats overloaded with people paying to reach Europe.

Most of the vessels were inflatable dinghies, along with two converted fishing boats.

One coast guard ship rescued as many as 725 migrants from a single inflatable boat.

Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said the dead included a 23-year-old pregnant woman.

According to recuers around 200 children were saved from just one boat. Most were unaccompanied by adults, and nine of them were under five years old.

The vast rescue operation, just 30 miles off the Libyan coast, saw Italian coast guard boats along with navy ships conducting rescues, as well as vessels from the EU’s Frontex patrols work to bring the refugees to safety.

Two people, including a pregnant woman, required emergency medical care and were taken by helicopter to a hospital on the Sicilian Island of Lampedusa.

Bel Trew, a reporter for The Times, was with one of the rescue crews and said many of the refugees were injured and several in a critical condition were air evacuated.

The mass rescue comes three years to the day after 366 people drowned off the coast of Lampedusa. The sinking of the vessel in 2013 alerted the international community to the migrant Mediterranean crisis.

According to the International Organisation for Migration, around 132,000 migrants have arrived in Italy since the beginning of the year, and 3,054 have died in their attempts. </s> At least 5,650 migrants were rescued on Monday as they tried to reach Europe on about 40 boats, one of the highest numbers in a single day, Italy’s coast guard said.

A spokeswoman said one migrant had died and a pregnant woman had been taken by helicopter to a hospital on the Italian island of Lampedusa, halfway between Sicily and the Libyan coast.

One coast guard ship rescued about 725 migrants on a single rubber boat, one of some 20 rescue operations during the day. Three were still underway and the spokeswoman said the number saved could reach 6,000 by the end of the day.

About 10 ships from the coast guard, the navy and humanitarian organizations were involved in the rescues, most of which took place some 30 miles off the coast of Libya.

According to the International Organisation for Migration, around 132,000 migrants have arrived in Italy since the start of the year and 3,054 have died. </s> At least 97 people are missing and believed to have drowned after their Europe-bound boat sank in the Mediterranean Sea on Thursday, according to the Libyan coastguard.

Spokesman Ayoub Qassem said 23 migrants were rescued around 10 kilometres off the coast of Tripoli after authorities received a distress call. Fifteen women and five children are among those still missing.

The boat, which was packed with African nationals seeking asylum in Europe, "completely collapsed", he said.

The survivors, all men, were found clinging to a flotation device.

Those who had disappeared were "probably dead", Qassem said, adding that bad weather had prevented the recovery of their bodies.

Libya has become a key departure point for people risking their lives to cross the Mediterranean to Europe.

Hailing mainly from sub-Saharan countries, most of the asylum seekers board boats operated by people traffickers in the country's west, heading for the Italian island of Lampedusa 300 kilometres away.

READ MORE: IOM - African migrants traded in Libya's 'slave markets'

Since the beginning of this year, at least 590 people have died or gone missing along the Libyan coast, the International Organisation for Migration said in late March.

In 2016, more than 5,000 people lost their lives at sea - an annual record - as they undertook perilous journeys to escape war, poverty, and persecution. In 2015, at least 3,771 refugees died while crossing the Mediterranean, up from 3,279 deaths the year before.

More than 24,000 asylum seekers arrived in Italy from Libya during the first three months of the year, up from 18,000 in the same period last year, according to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees.

The German government on Thursday said it would support a ban on the export of boats from the European Union to Libya as part of measures to stem the flow of people across the Mediterranean.

In February, EU leaders inked a deal to give $215mn to Libya's fragile government to stop migrant boats in the country's territorial waters. </s> OFF THE COAST OF LIBYA (AP) — Spanish and Italian naval ships, along with vessels from non-government groups, are rescuing thousands of migrants off the Libyan coast.

Monday's dramatic operation is taking place just 21 kilometers (13 miles) north of the town of Sabratha in Libya.

Groups such as Proactiva Open Arms and Doctors Without Borders are helping take on some 3,000 people who had been travelling in some 20 small wooden boats.

Migrants, most of them from Eritrea, jump into the water from a crowded wooden boat as they are helped by members of an NGO during a rescue operation at the Mediterranean sea, about 13 miles north of Sabratha, Libya, Monday, Aug. 29, 2016. Thousands of migrants and refugees were rescued Monday morning from more than 20 boats by members of Proactiva Open Arms NGO before transferring them to the Italian cost guards and others NGO vessels operating at the zone.(AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)

Migrants from Eritrea and Somalia cheered as the rescue boats arrived, with some jumping into the water and swimming toward them while others carefully carried babies onto the rescue ships.

Tens of thousands of Africans take the dangerous Mediterranean Sea route as a gateway to a better life in Europe. Libya's chaos and lack of border controls have made it into a transit route.

Migrants, most of them from Eritrea, jump into the water from a crowded wooden boat as they are helped by members of an NGO during a rescue operation at the Mediterranean sea, about 13 miles north of Sabratha, Libya, Monday, Aug. 29, 2016. Thousands of migrants and refugees were rescued Monday morning from more than 20 boats by members of Proactiva Open Arms NGO before transferring them to the Italian cost guards and others NGO vessels operating at the zone. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)

Migrants, most of them from Eritrea, jump into the water from a crowded wooden boat as they are helped by members of an NGO during a rescue operation on the Mediterranean sea, about 13 miles north of Sabratha, Libya, Monday, Aug. 29, 2016. Thousands of migrants and refugees were rescued Monday morning from more than 20 boats by members of Proactiva Open Arms NGO before transferring them to the Italian cost guards and others NGO vessels operating at the zone. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)

Migrants, most of them from Eritrea, jumps into the water from a crowded wooden boat as they are helped by members of an NGO during a rescue operation at the Mediterranean sea, about 13 miles north of Sabratha, Libya, Monday, Aug. 29, 2016. Thousands of migrants and refugees were rescued Monday morning from more than 20 boats by members of Proactiva Open Arms NGO before transferring them to the Italian cost guards and others NGO vessels operating in the zone.(AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti) </s> CLOSE Hopes are fading for 44 people still missing more than a day after an overcrowded speedboat carrying Indonesian migrant workers capsized and sunk in rough seas, claiming at least 18 lives. Newslook

A handout frame video provided on Oct. 5, 2016 and released by the Italian Coast Guard shows migrants boarding a ship during a rescue operation conducted off the Italian coast near Lampedusa. (Photo: ITALIAN COAST GUARD / HANDOUT, EPA)

Hundreds of migrants are believed to have drowned after two boats sank off the coast of Libya, a United Nations official said Thursday.

Carlotta Sami, a spokeswoman for the U.N. refugee agency (UNHCR), said at least 239 people were dead, Reuters reported. She said two survivors who were taken ashore on the Italian island of Lampedusa told authorities that the rubber dinghies they were traveling in capsized Wednesday in heavy seas shortly after leaving Libya.

The first boat sank when wooden planks at the bottom broke, causing the dinghy to capsize 25 miles off the Libyan coast, the UNHCR said. Among the 140 people on board were six children and about 20 women, some pregnant. Twenty-nine people were rescued, and 12 bodies were recovered.

Two women found swimming at sea told rescuers that 128 other people had died in their wreck.

“I am deeply saddened by another tragedy on the high seas,” U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi said. “So many lives could be saved through more resettlement and legal pathways to protection. The Mediterranean is a deadly stretch of sea for refugees and migrants, yet they still see no other option but to risk their lives to cross it.”

Most people on board appeared to have been sub-Saharan Africans, the Associated Press reported.

The International Organization for Migration said 4,220 people have died so far this year trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea to reach Europe. Last month, UNHCR said more than 3,800 people were dead or missing in the Mediterranean in 2016, making it the highest figure ever.

The refugee crisis escalated in 2015 as more and more people fled regional conflicts and made the journey across the Mediterranean in hopes of a better life in Europe. Most refugees are from Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq. The vast majority of fatalities occur on the treacherous route between Libya and Italy, according to the Global Migration Data Analysis Center in Berlin.

Also Thursday, human rights organization Amnesty International said in a report that pressure on Italy from the European Union to “get tough” on migrants has led to incidents that may amount to torture.

Allegations made in the report against authorities include beatings, electric shocks and sexual humiliation.

“In their determination to reduce the onward movement of refugees and migrants to other member states, EU leaders have driven the Italian authorities to the limits – and beyond – of what is legal,” Matteo de Bellis, Amnesty International’s researcher on Italy, said in a statement.

“The result is that traumatized people, arriving in Italy after harrowing journeys, are being subjected to flawed assessments and in some instances appalling abuse at the hands of the police, as well as unlawful expulsions.”

The Italian authorities didn't immediately respond to the claims.

Contributing: The Associated Press

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More than 2,000 migrants are rescued from the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Libya.