As many as 40 African migrants have reportedly drowned off the Libyan coast after their overcrowded inflatable boat capsized and sank.
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She said the migrants came from countries such as Senegal, Mali, Benin and Nigeria.
Survivors who came ashore in Sicily after being rescued by a German navy ship told aid agencies that their boat had started to fall apart shortly after putting to sea near Tripoli.
Save the Children said the German ship brought 283 refugees and migrants to Port Augusta. In the end two boats were found, one carrying 38 people from Africa and the other with 20 people from Syria all making the risky trek across the Mediterranean into Europe.
More than 1,800 migrants have died – a 20-fold increase on the same period in 2014.
Earlier this month, the UN said some 137,000 people had arrived in Greece, Italy, Spain and Malta alone, with many more coming by land across the Balkans.
Dozens of people died this week as they were trying to reach Italy from Libya on a dinghy, aid workers said, in the latest maritime tragedy involving migrants crossing the Mediterranean.
The vast majority of the migrants fleeing war and poverty in Africa and the Middle East depart from Libya, where human traffickers have taken advantage of a breakdown in order to build up a lucrative business.
The European Commission also unveiled a voluntary plan last month for its member states to deal with the influx of tens of thousands of migrants travelling to Europe via the Mediterranean.
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Migrants wait after disembarking from the Swedish Coast Guard ship KBV 001 Poseidon at the Reggio Calabria harbor, Italy, Thursday, July 23, 2015.
