OVER 300 people could have died in the central Mediterranean today were it not for the actions of the activist-run network of refugee rescuers.

The crew of the Geo Barents rescue ship, with the help of the distress hotline organisation Alarm Phone, saved the lives of about 336 people in two operations in less than 12 hours between Monday night and this morning.

Both rescues occurred in Malta's search-and-rescue (SAR) zone, a section of the central Mediterranean in which the island nation is legally responsible for coordinating rescues, without its help.

“Without the efforts of the civil fleet, in less than 12 hours, 336 people could have died at sea,” said Doctors Without Borders (MSF), the charity which runs the ship, yesterday.

Though the Italian authorities did coordinate the second rescue, they infuriated the rescuers after ordering them to take the rescued to La Spezia, in the far north-east of Italy.