Forty-one people drowned on Thursday while attempting to reach Italy by boat from Libya according to the International Organisation for Migration. Only four people survived from the vessel.
The Italian Coast Guard say they have picked up thousands of migrants in recent days, including many children.
IOM’s Joel Millman MillmanIOM told BBCNews: At least a third of rescued #migrants on Monday were women & children http://t.co/lD58McH5gg— IOM (@IOM_news) 16 Avril 2015
Save the Children say almost 10 percent of the 5,100 migrants who arrived in Italy between April 9-11, were underage, and 300 of them were unaccompanied by adults.
All of them are thought to be sub-Saharan.
Italy is struggling to cope with the sheer numbers of people trying to reach its shores from north Africa, and is calling on the EU for more help.
The authorities say structures to deal with the migrants are collapsing, but no matter how desperate the facilities are, many are simply glad they survived the
