Departures of refugees and migrants in the Mediterranean region surged over the weekend and will continue to do so as Libya descends deeper into violence, Amnesty International warned Monday.
The Italian coast guard confirmed that naval and merchant vessels rescued more than 2,800 people in at least 18 boats between February 13 and 15. On Sunday, February 15, alone 2,225 people were rescued from a dozen boats, said the human rights organisation in a statement here.
This comes just a week after at least 300 deaths at sea as four other boats attempted the crossing from Libya to Italy in stormy weather. Amnesty International is urging EU countries to provide collective and concerted search and rescue operations along routes taken by migrants. In the meantime, the organization is urging Italy to provide additional emergency resources until this happens.