2,300 migrants were rescued and taken to safety in 18 separate rescue missions in the Mediterranean in an operation conducted by the Italian coast guard.
The coast guard said in a statement that a Spanish boat belonging to an EU naval force, an Irish navy vessel and boats of four non-governmental organisations were involved in the rescue operations.
It did not however say where the migrants who were travelling in 17 rubber vessels and one small boat came from originally.
Increasing numbers of refugees and migrants have risked their lives to cross the Mediterranean sea using unseaworthy vessels in a bid to reach Europe.
So far in 2016, 292,113 migrants have made the perilous journey by sea into Europe.
