AFP reports that the Italian coast guard rescued 4,500 refugees from sinking rubber dinghies in the Mediterranean on Thursday.
"We saved a total of about 4,500 people in about 40 rescue operations," the coast guard spokesman told AFP.
The coast guard also confirmed that the refugees set out from Libya, mostly on rubber rafts. Two wooden boats were found, apparently used by Libyan human traffickers who were organizing the migration route.
"We registered a large number of voyages today, after several days of bad weather at sea had stopped people leaving Libya," the spokesman continued. Bad weather in the past week had decreased the attempts to cross the Mediterranean.
The coast guard confirmed that at least one dead body was found on the rafts. Over 10,000 asylum seekers have died trying to cross the Mediterranean since 2014.
Rescue operations are ongoing.
