More than 1,300 migrants were rescued from overloaded boats in the Mediterranean Sea by the Italian coastguard and navy on Saturday, less than two weeks after a shipwreck off the coast of southern Italy that killed more than 70 people, authorities said.

On Friday, several boats were deployed to assist three ships carrying hundreds of migrants in the Central Mediterranean, the most dangerous migration route in the world.

According to rescuers, 487 of them were brought safely to the port of Crotona in the early hours of Saturday. Coast Guard videos released on Friday showed some of the migrants on the deck of a large fishing boat in rough seas.

Another operation, which rescued 500 migrants, was nearing completion, the same source said. The Ansa news agency reported that the boat, in which 584 migrants were traveling, had docked in the port of Reggio Calabria, a coastal town in southern Italy.

A third boat carrying 379 people was rescued by two Coast Guard patrol boats and the migrants transferred to a naval vessel bound for the Sicilian port of Augusta.

These rescues were carried out when three new bodies were discovered from the shipwreck nearly two weeks ago off the coast of Crotona, on the country’s southern coast. According to Italian media, it concerns two girls under the age of 10 and a man. The total number of victims now stands at 76.

Justice opened an investigation into the tragedy, mainly to try to explain the late arrival of the rescuers.

This shipwreck shocked Italy and led to sharp criticism of the far-right government of Giorgia Meloni, chosen for its hard line on migration.

On Saturday, thousands of protesters gathered near the shipwreck site in Cutro, Crotona province. People marched behind a cross made of pieces of wood left over from the shipwreck.

“This cross is a symbol of today’s suffering,” said Domenico “Mimmo” Lucano, former mayor of Calabria, known for his commitment to the protection of migrants, quoted by the Ansa agency.

“In emergency situations, the Calabrian communities are shocked, and what prevails is the spirit of solidarity that the government is not showing,” he added.

According to the Interior Ministry, 17,592 people have arrived in Italy since January 1, compared to 5,976 in the same period of 2022 and 5,995 in 2021, or nearly triple that.

According to Frontex, the number of arrivals of migrants via the Central Mediterranean route increased by 116% in January and February compared to 2022.