libyan refugees
© Darrin Zammit Lupi / Reuters1,000 people were believed to still be in the water as night fell on Saturday.
At least 3,000 people were rescued Saturday attempting to cross the Mediterranean from Libya, as the influx of new arrivals making the arduous journey to Europe's doorstep increases during warmer months.

The rescue brings the total number of migrants helped in the past week in the central Mediterranean up to around 5,600, after 2,600 migrants were picked up by the Italian Coast Guard, the Italian and British Navies, merchant ships, and vessels operated by non-government organizations.

Jugend Rette, a German NGO involved in the rescuing of migrants, told AFP that good spring weather has led to increased numbers of people attempting the dangerous crossing in recent days, Deutsche Welle reports.

"We have never had to deal with so many people at the same time," said Pauline Schmidt, spokesperson for Jugend Rette.

Six migrants were found dead during the rescue mission, which involved 25 operations off the coast of Libya on Saturday, including Migrant Offshore Aid Station (MOAS), Sea Eye, and SOS Mediterranee, along with the Italian Coast Guard and Jugend Rette.

SOS Mediterranee reported one man was found dead on the dinghies and rafts while the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said five drowned.

Fifteen missions were still underway as night fell on Saturday, with 1,000 migrants believed to still be stranded in rubber dinghies and other crafts awaiting rescue.

The journey from Libya across the Mediterranean to Italy is currently the main route to Europe for migrants.

Around 27,000 people made the crossing to Italy during the first three months of 2017, the IOM reported. That figure is an increase from 18,000 in the same period last year.

More than 180,000 migrants were illegally smuggled from Africa into Italy on unseaworthy and overcrowded vessels in 2016, according to the UN Refugee Agency.

Despite the increase in attempted crossings, there has been a decrease in reported deaths on the central Mediterranean route, with about 602 so far in 2017. In total, 4,410 migrants died attempting to make the crossing to Italy in 2016.