3,000 rescued off Italian coast in one day

About 3,000 people have been rescued in the Mediterranean Sea in a single day as they were trying to make a journey from Northern Africa to Europe, the Italian coastguard has said.

They were picked up in more than 20 separate rescue operations on Saturday, involving the Italian coastguard and navy, the EU's EUNAVFOR mission in the Mediterranean, European Union border agency Frontex, NGOs, and merchant ships.

The coastguard gave no further details of the nationalities of those who were rescued.

According to the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), 43,490 refugees and migrants have arrived in Europe this past year.

More than 1,000 are believed to have died or gone missing.

Earlier this month, Italian foreign minister Angelino Alfano said his country is willing to host an international conference on migration.

"The stabilisation of Libya is of tremendous value for Italy, it means national security, the end of human trafficking, and a reduction of the migration flow," Alfano said.

Refugees and migrants who pass through conflict-ridden Libya endure harsh conditions.

The refugees and migrants - many from Nigeria, Senegal and The Gambia - are captured as they head north towards Libya's Mediterranean coast, where some hope to try and catch boats for Italy.

Along the way, they are prey to an array of armed groups and people-smuggling networks that often try to extort money in exchange for allowing them to continue.

Last month, the IOM said many refugees and migrants have been held for ransom, kidnapped, made to perform forced labour and, in some cases, sold in markets as slaves.

Some of those who cannot pay their captors are reportedly killed, the IOM said. When migrants die or are released, others are purchased to replace them.

Libya is the main gateway for people attempting to reach Europe by sea, with more than 150,000 people making the crossing in each of the past three years.