An Italian warship carrying 334 migrants is on its way to Taranto after having been refused permission to bring the migrants to Malta.

The migrants were rescued between Tunisia and Lampedusa by Italian patrol craft and transferred to the warship Bordini, which headed for Malta early this morning.

Just before 7 a.m. the Italian authorities declared Lampedusa as “not a safe place” for the rescued persons since 1,600 migrants had already arrived there overnight.

Malta replied that it was ready to assist in any urgent humanitarian cases but it refused the Italian warship permission to enter Maltese territorial waters, since Lampedusa was the closest safe land for the migrants.

Shortly before 5 p.m. Malta was informed that the Borsini was proceeding to Tanato in Italy. 

About 100 women and 40 children including three babies were among those who reached Lampedusa between Saturday morning and this morning on a dozen boats. 

In south-western Sardinia two boats carrying 45 men, one woman and two children landed overnight yesterday.

Since the start of the year, more than 11,000 Africans fleeing conflicts in north Africa have landed in southern Italy, in increasing numbers since NATO air raids on Libya began in mid-March and the weather improved.

According to the Catholic aid group Sant'Egidio, at least 1,820 migrants from north Africa, most originally from south of the Sahara, have drowned this year in the Mediterranean in their bid to reach Europe.