SOS Mediterranee said "We have just rescued 48 people from a wooden boat in distress, 53 nautical miles from the coast of Libya. Women, very young children and a newborn are among the survivors now safely onboard" and they also stated that they are heading to investigate another possible case.

The rescue operations came just hours after the ship's return to the Mediterranean.

The European Union has struggled to find a common policy to tackle the migration issue with rescue operations usually followed by wrangling between member states to determine where the migrants would be disembarked.

Maritime Business World