Private rescue groups in the Mediterranean have brought more than 50 people to safety in recent days, as irregular crossing attempts continue. So far in 2026, roughly 2,000 people are believed to have died on these journeys.
The crew of the NGO search-and-rescue ship Sea-Eye 5 saved 24 people in the central Mediterranean after their boat ran into distress.
The aid group said that their crew had received an emergency call early on September 21, about an unseaworthy rubber boat floating in the search and rescue zone not far from the location of the Sea-Eye 5 at the time.
The rescue organization said the crew managed to bring everyone on board safely.
According to the crew of Sea-Eye, the rescued migrants and refugees were "completely exhausted" after spending two days at sea.
A pediatrician on board the rescue vessel was able to stabilize the condition of a three-year-old child, who was severely dehydrated and very weak, according to reports.
Sea-Eye said the migrants would be taken to the southern Italian island of Lampedusa.
Read AlsoItaly impounds Sea-Watch 5 in response to the latest disagreement over sea rescue law
Migrant boat set on fire after rescue
Another operation coordinated by Doctors Without Borders (MSF) and the crew of its Oyvon rescue ship resulted in 31 people being brought to safety.
Among those rescued were six women and girls as well as 12 minors, nine of whom reportedly were unaccompanied youth.
The majority of the migrants came from Eritrea, the organization said.
The NGO spoke of a dramatic rescue in which the crew had to rush the operation to get everyone on board before Libyan maritime vessels would arrive at the site.
"We feared people would be pushed back to Libya" MSF Project Coordinator Chiara Milanese said on X.
"People rescued at sea should not be returned to Libya, where they face very serious risks including extortion, arbitrary detention, violence, and exploitation."
Shortly after the rescue was complete, the crew observed Libyan patrol vessels "arriving at the scene and setting the [migrant] boat on fire."
The Oyvon was designated the Italian port of Catania on Sicily to disembark the migrants.
Read AlsoMSF files defamation complaint against British far-right group
Hundreds of deaths in Mediterranean this year alone
The Mediterranean Sea remains one of the most dangerous migrant routes in the world. Thousands of migrants and refugees have died or gone missing over the years while trying to reach Europe.
To date in 2026, nearly 2,000 migrants are known to have died on this sea route, according to IOM.
However, the actual number of fatalities could be much higher, as some shipwrecks go completely unreported.
Read AlsoAlmost 8,000 died on migration routes in 2025 worldwide, estimates IOM
In a bid to slow down migrant arrivals, the European Union has struck a series of agreements with various North African governments to stem the flow of people departing on irregular — and highly dangerous — sea journeys.
However, rights groups say that countries like Libya and Tunisia use heavy-handed methods to live up to that mandate, with more and more reports of serious human rights abuses and acts of deliberate violence and brutality emerging from these countries.
Read AlsoWhy the Mediterranean route is becoming more deadly for migrants
with EPD