A Spanish patrol ship rescued 325 migrants from different boats about 25 nautical miles from Tripoli, while the Italian coastguard taking part in the same operation picked up another 198, a statement said, AFP reported.
The statement said the migrants were from Nigeria, Gambia, Senegal, Libya, Ivory Coast, Guinea-Bissau and Equatorial Guinea and that they included 125 women and 22 children.
Approximately 430,000 migrants and refugees are estimated to have crossed the Mediterranean into Europe this year, and 2,748 have died trying, according to the International Organization for Migration.