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Rome (dpa) - For the third day in a row, Sea-Watch rescued migrants in the central Mediterranean from distress at sea.
73 people, including 16 women and children, were taken on board the "Sea-Watch 3" on Sunday morning, the Berlin-based organization announced on Twitter.
In the afternoon, the crew reported on a fourth mission in which 97 people were brought onto the ship.
In the previous two days, the volunteers had taken in around 145 people.
Many were exhausted and received medical care, according to Sea-Watch.
Unaccompanied minors were also among those rescued, it said.
During the rescue on Saturday, the "Sea-Watch 3" rushed to help after the refugees' inflatable boat had lost air.
This means that there are a total of almost 320 migrants on board the ship.
A little more than a week ago, the “Sea-Watch 3” left the port of the Spanish city of Burriana after a seven-month “forced break”, as the organization announced at the time.
On Thursday, the crew arrived in the targeted search area around 30 nautical miles off the coast of Libya.
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On Sunday, the International Organization for Migration reported that 15 people had lost their lives at sea.
She relied on statements made by survivors who had been brought back to shore by the Libyan coast guard.
According to the UN, more than 170 people died in the central Mediterranean this year.
According to the Italian Ministry of the Interior, around 4,500 boat migrants have arrived in Italy so far in 2021.
In the same period last year it was around 2350. Italy is often the destination of people who set off from the Libyan coast.
The North African country is a transit country for migrants en route to Europe.
© dpa-infocom, dpa: 210228-99-629985 / 2
Tweet Sea-Watch from Sunday (German)