Private sea rescue organization Sea-Watch said Sunday evening it had saved almost 100 people in the Mediterranean in its fifth mission in three days.

A heavily pregnant woman was among the latest group rescued, the Berlin-based organization said on Twitter.

The crew now has almost 450 people rescued from migrant boats on board the Sea-Watch 3 vessel. The youngest child on board is two weeks old.

The Italian coast guard reported Sunday after a two-day search that it had located a boat carrying migrants on the coast of Crotone in southern Italy.

They brought 27 people to safety, the coast guard said in a statement.

Italy is the destination of many migrants travelling by boat, who often set off from north Africa on their journey to the European Union.

They hope for a better life there, but the overfilled boats frequently encounter trouble at sea and there have been accidents in the Mediterranean.

According to the UN, more than 1,500 people have died in the central Mediterranean so far this year.

dpa