cramped and they struggled to move as we rescued them,” he said.
MSF doctors treated migrants suffering from injuries sustained during beatings by people smugglers and others suffering from conditions including diabetes, dehydration and skin infections, as well as carrying out checks on the pregnant women.
MSF’s Will Turner added: “The boat was absolutely crammed full. As the men, women and children we rescued curled up under blankets to sleep, there wasn’t a centimetre to spare. The scale of this crisis is just heartbreaking. I wish we could do more.”
The migrants landed in southern Italy will quickly be dispersed to reception centres across the country pending decisions on their future.
Aid agencies say a large number of those attempting the Mediterranean crossing have legitimate claims to asylum in Europe as they are fleeing conflict or represession in places including Syria and Eritrea.
In a rare example of conflict-wracked Libya attempting to stem the migrant flow, five boats which set off at the weekend were intercepted by the Libyan coastguard and sent to the city of Misrata, home to a detention centre for migrants.
Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott meanwhile revealed that his officials were talking to European Union counterparts about how to stop the flow of boats.
However, the European Commission, the executive of the 28-nation EU, said that it was not aware of such talks and that Brussels would never adopt Australia’s model of turning back these boats.
Australia has successfully stopped asylum-seeker boats from reaching the continent by deploying its navy to turn them back, effectively deterring other would-be migrants.
The policy has proved controversial however with critics accusing the government of ignoring its international obligations on asylum and other human rights.
People smugglers have taken advantage of the chaos gripping Libya since the 2011 uprising that toppled dictator Moamer Qadhafi.
On April 19, some 750 migrants were killed when their trawler sank between Libya and southern Italy, sparking global outrage and demands for action.
Four days later EU leaders tripled the bloc’s budget for patrols off Libya.
EU leaders are now seeking UN Security Council approval for military action against smugglers.
But rights groups have criticised Europe for focusing on patrols rather than providing asylum seekers with legal avenues to seek refuge.