A total of 890 migrants rescued in the Mediterranean were due to arrive in Sicily's eastern port city of Catania on Saturday, among them 100 women and children. The migrants, who were rescued in eight operations, were due reach Catania aboard an Italian patrol vessel.
This week alone, over 10,000 people were rescued in the Mediterranean while dozens lost their lives, the International Organisation for Migration said.
About 43,000 arrivals have been registered in Italy this year, slightly fewer than 47,400 in the same period last year, according to the IOM.
"What we are seeing today is not an emergency in terms of numbers: it is an operational emergency, since thousands of people are risking their life at sea and it is very difficult to save everyone," said Federico Soda, Director of the IOM Coordination Office for the Mediterranean in Rome.
