MSF ferry rescuing migrants on May 31, 2024. (Photo/MSF/X).

The Medicines Sans Frontiers (MSF) said on Saturday it rescued 84 people who were “in distress” in the Mediterranean Sea during two international rescue operations.

MSF said in a post on X (formerly known as Twitter), that the migrants from several African countries, escaped from Libya and embarked on the perilous sea journey to Europe in hope of asylum.

The medical charity said after it conducted two successful rescue operations, the Italian authorities assigned the port city of Salerno as a place of safety to disembark them.

“This afternoon, 84 people in distress were rescued in two rescue operations. They were all fleeing from Libya. After the two rescues, the Italian authorities assigned Salerno as a place of safety to disembark survivors.”

According to Italian newspaper, Il Mattino, the migrants who came from Ethiopia, Senegal, Ghana, Mali and the Gambia, and include 64 adults and 20 minors, will dock in Salerno on Sunday or Monday morning.

“We have made available buses, bathrooms, showers, and everything necessary to manage the initial phase of the landing,” Salerno Councilor Paola de Roberto told Il Mattino.

“We will also follow the subsequent moments when it will be necessary to place the migrants in the facilities reserved for them. Our commitment is ongoing.”

Libya is one of the main departure points for African migrants who seek asylum mainly in Italy and Spain.

The Central Mediterranean route from Algeria, Egypt, Libya and Tunisia to Italy and Malta has long been the deadliest migration route in the world.

According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM) nearly 2,500 people died or went missing as they attempted to cross the stretch in 2023.