European authorities warn of impending humanitarian crisis as up to 600,000 people wait in Libya to make treacherous crossing

This article is more than 6 years old

This article is more than 6 years old

Thousands of migrants have crossed the Mediterranean in the past few days, taking advantage of good weather conditions to launch dozens of boats from Libya in a desperate effort to reach Europe.

Up to 600,000 people are estimated to be waiting in Libya for an opportunity to make the treacherous sea crossing, prompting warnings by European authorities of an impending humanitarian crisis.

About 4,500 migrants have been picked up by the Italian navy since Thursday. The largest contingent of 1,300 – including hundreds of women and dozens of babies –was rescued on Sunday and taken to the southern Italian city of Taranto.

Another group of 998, including 214 women and 157 minors, was picked up on Friday in a rescue operation that involved merchant ships flying Hong Kong, Italian, Moldovan and Panamanian colours as well as the Italian navy.

Most of those being brought into port in the past few days are Syrian, Sudanese and Eritrean. Many have been taken to Sicily, where authorities are struggling to cope with the influx.

Enzo Bianco, the centre-left mayor of Catania and former Italian interior minister, warned last week of a looming disaster. "Either there is a strong initiative by the Italian government and by the EU, or we will be facing a real disaster of colossal proportions," he told the Guardian.

Thousands of migrants have died attempting to cross the Mediterranean in rickety and overcrowded boats run by people-traffickers in recent years. Italy launched the Mare Nostrum rescue operation last October after more than 400 people drowned when two boats sank.

Italy says more than 50,000 migrants have landed on its shores since the start of this year – about the same number as for the whole of 2013. More than 2,000 have arrived in Malta.

The Greek coastguard said a patrol boat rescued 29 migrants from an inflatable speedboat taking on water in the eastern Aegean on Monday.

The rescue took place in Turkish territorial waters, it said, but the Turkish authorities refused to accept the boat's occupants, which included two women and a child. The migrants were taken to the Greek island of Lesbos.