Hundreds of refugees fleeing Libya landed on the Italian island of Lampedusa today in a fresh wave of arrivals of around 1,300 migrants in the past two days that officials put down to calmer weather.

"I think the new arrivals are probably due to the improvement in the weather. Last night we had the first arrivals with 167 sub-Saharans from Libya and 77 Tunisians," Vittorio Alessandro, a spokesman for local coast guards, told AFP.

Another boat arrived with 277 sub-Saharan refugees on board including 25 children and three children.

Alessandro said two more boats with a total of around 800 people fleeing Libya on board were also en route for Lampedusa, where they are set to arrive in the next few days escorted by the coast guard.

More than 25,000 migrants and refugees from North Africa -- mostly from Libya and Tunisia -- have landed in Italy since the start of the year.

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