More than 20 people are missing after attempting to cross the Mediterranean from North Africa. Hundreds of others were rescued and brought to Italy by the coast guard and the Ocean Viking humanitarian ship.
Almost 1,000 migrants heading to Italy were rescued on Sunday (April 16) amid an ongoing surge of arrivals. A new commissioner has been tasked with taking care of arrivals - but solutions to stem the migrant influx seem elusive.
A group of 60 migrants rescued from two separate boats in the central Mediterranean disembarked on the island of Malta on Monday. It was the biggest arrival of migrants in Malta in many months.
The Italian coast guard rescued roughly 600 migrants from a fishing boat in distress off the island of Sicily, according to news agency ANSA.
Around 2,000 migrants were brought to Italy over the Easter weekend after being rescued at sea by the Italian coast guard. Italian authorities say they are still engaged in two operations to rescue another 1,200 migrants.
The Italian coast guard has rescued 32 migrants, including 4 women and a child, from a small island off Sicily called Lampione. Due to strong winds it took several voyages by helicopter to evacuate the group.
A humanitarian ship funded by British street artist Banksy was seized in Lampedusa on Sunday after rescuing 178 refugees and migrants. Authorities said it had breached new rules for ships operated by non-governmental organizations carrying out search and rescue in the central Mediterranean Sea.
Survivors of the February 26 shipwreck off Steccato di Cutro in the southern Calabria region and a 17-year-old Pakistani national accused of smuggling have appeared in court.
In the wake of the latest deadly migrant boat incident off the Libyan coast, Malta has once again been accused of ignoring alarms and leaving men, women and children to die. This time the boat that capsized was just outside the Maltese search and rescue (SAR) zone. Once again the Maltese authorities chose to ignore the alarms, some say.
Over 1,300 migrants arrived by boat at Lampedusa on Tuesday and Wednesday from Tunisia. In a press release, the Italian coast guard patted themselves on the back for saving 38 of them.
A national soccer player from Pakistan seeking medical treatment for her three-year-old son was among the 71 migrants confirmed dead in a shipwreck off Italy's southern coast eight days ago. Further details about the tragic journey are starting to emerge.
More than 400 migrants were intercepted by the Tunisian coast guard over the weekend. Other boats leaving Tunisia did arrive on the Italian coast in the last few days however, including one containing a top-flight Tunisian footballer.