More than 260 migrants have been rescued off Malta, the Armed Forces of Malta says, amid a major exodus of asylum seekers hoping to reach Europe from Africa.
Maltese vessels rescued four groups totalling 262 people overnight to Saturday.
The first boat contained 90 people, while the second and third contained 78 and 59, respectively.
Another 36 were transferred to a Maltese patrol boat from the charity ship Ocean Viking, which picked them up on Friday, a spokesman told dpa.
All children and women on board the vessels were taken to Malta's general hospital, but their condition is believed to be stable, the army said.
They bring the total number of immigrants taken in by Malta this week to 459.
Another 182 people remain stranded on board the Medecins Sans Frontieres boat Ocean Viking, with Malta arguing that they were not picked up in Maltese waters.
In a tweet, MSF said the decision to leave scores of others stranded demonstrated "the discriminatory, arbitrary and inhumane nature of a system which continues to prioritise political game-play above human lives and dignity".
