HUNDREDS of people have been saved from unseaworthy boats by civilian rescuers in the central Mediterranean in the last few days, during a deadly week for refugees at Europe’s sea borders.

Four civilian rescue ships are heading towards Italy’s ports today after their crews saved the lives of at least 685 people.

The Humanity 1 saved 80 people in distress from an overcrowded, unseaworthy inflatable boat in international waters this morning.

“Water had already entered the boat at the time of the rescue,” the ship’s operators SOS Humanity said this afternoon. 

No-one had a life jacket. Among the survivors are several women, including at least one pregnant woman, multiple unaccompanied minors, and two babies.

SOS Mediterranee said today that the crew aboard its ship, the Ocean Viking, had saved more than 500 lives in 11 operations in 42 hours at sea.

“Operations are still ongoing in the area between Tunisia and [the Italian island of] Lampedusa,” the organisation said.

The medical team aboard the Astral, a rescue vessel operated by Open Arms, called on the Italian authorities to evacuate an unconsciousness pregnant woman in a critical state of health today.

The Astral crew found her on Thursday night among about 60 people in four heavily overloaded iron boats.

“The 60 people on board, including five small children, need to disembark as soon as possible and receive the necessary medical care,” Open Arms said.

The Mare Go, a small vessel operated by activists from an organisation of the same name, also saved about 46 people from an overcrowded rubber on Thursday afternoon.

Despite finding the refugees six hours away from Lampedusa, the Italian authorities ordered the crew to sail for Catania on the island of Sicily — a 48-hour journey from their position.

At least 232 people were saved by the crews of the Louise Michel, Nadir and Geo Barents civilian rescue ships earlier this week.

But 41 people died in a shipwreck off the coast of Lampedusa earlier this week.

“We have counted 161 people dead or missing,” said Tamino Bohm, the tactical co-ordinator on Sea-Watch’s reconnaissance plane, the Seabird, on Wednesday.

“And who knows how many we will never know about.”