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                        Photo: More than 200 survivors were brought to the Sicilian harbour of Augusta. (Reuters)

More than 4,200 migrants trying to reach Europe have been rescued from boats in the Mediterranean in last 24 hours, the Italian coastguard said on Saturday.

In some of the most intense Mediterranean migrant traffic of the year, a total of 4,243 people have been saved from fishing boats and rubber dinghies in 22 operations involving ships from nations including Italy, Ireland, Germany, Belgium and Britain.

The Italian navy said 17 corpses had been found on one of the boats off Libya. Details of the nationalities of the victims and how they died have not yet been released.

The bodies and more than 200 survivors were brought to the port of Augusta in eastern Sicily aboard the Italian navy corvette Fenice, the coastguard said.

Migrants escaping war and poverty in Africa and the Middle East this year have been pouring into Italy, which has been bearing the brunt of Mediterranean rescue operations.

Most depart from the coast of Libya, which has descended into anarchy since Western powers backed a 2011 revolt that ousted Muammar Gaddafi.

If there is anyone in Europe or in the world who thinks one's own conscience can be buried at a depth of 387 metres, France and Italy will go and tell them that this is not possible.

Italian prime minister Matteo Renzi

Calm seas are increasingly favouring departures as warm spring weather sets in.

About 800 migrants drowned off the coast of Libya last month, when their 20-metre long fishing boat capsized and sank, making it the Mediterranean's most deadly shipwreck in living memory.

That spurred the European Union to agree on a naval mission to target gangs smuggling migrants from Libya, but a broader plan to deal with the influx is in doubt due to a dispute over national quotas for housing asylum seekers.

The EU plan to disperse 40,000 migrants from Italy and Greece to other countries met with resistance this week, with Britain saying it would not participate and some eastern countries calling for a voluntary scheme.

The UN refugee agency estimated about 35,500 migrants have arrived in Italy from the beginning of the year up to the first week of May, a number which has grown considerably since. About 1,800 are either dead or missing.

'Sisters and brothers' to be recovered and buried

Italian prime minister Matteo Renzi has repeated his commitment to refloat the wreck of the trawler which sank in April with the deaths of around 800 migrants and lay to rest the victims.

The Italian navy located the wreck in early May lying 85 nautical miles north of the Libyan coast.

Investigators say pictures of the wreck show bodies lying nearby, on the bridge of the ship and inside the hull.

We will bring this boat to the surface and we will give a grave to these men and to these women, to these sisters and these brothers.

Italian prime minister Matteo Renzi

"When this boat capsized and sank, we committed ourselves to go and check if there really were as many bodies as the survivors said," Mr Renzi said after talks with French prime minister Manuel Valls.

"I made this commitment and I would like to confirm it once again."

"We will bring this boat to the surface and we will give a grave to these men and to these women, to these sisters and these brothers."

"If there is anyone in Europe or in the world who thinks one's own conscience can be buried at a depth of 387 metres, France and Italy will go and tell them that this is not possible," he said.

Just 28 survivors were rescued and taken to Italy and 24 bodies were picked up and buried in Malta. The survivors included a Tunisian and a Syrian who are suspected of being the captain of the trawler and his second-in-command.

Source=http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-05-31/more-than-4000-migrants-rescued-off-italian-coast/6509818

AFP/Reuters