The Italian coastguard says hundreds of Syrian refugees have been rescued in rough seas off Italy's southern coast in the last day.
Three boats carrying 809 refugees, including many women and children, were intercepted off the islands of Lampedusa and Sicily, and off the mainland region of Calabria.
The coastguard says one boat carrying 171 refugees was in difficulty and gradually sinking when it was rescued about 40 kilometres off the coast.
Reuters reports the number of Syrian refugees reaching Italy has increased steadily in recent months.
The United Nations estimates almost 3500 have arrived since last month.
More than 2 million refugees have now fled Syria's civil war, mainly to neighbouring Iraq, Jordan, Turkey and Lebanon, out of a population of about 20 million.
The two-and-a-half-year conflict is estimated to have killed more than 100,000 people.
