Italian Premier Matteo Renzi says Italian and Maltese ships are responding to two migrant emergencies near the Libyan coast.

A man rescues an migrant from the Aegean sea, in the eastern island of Rhodes, Monday, April 20, 2015.

A man rescues an migrant from the Aegean sea, in the eastern island of Rhodes, Monday, April 20, 2015. Image by (Argiris Mantikos/Eurokinissi via AP)

Mr Renzi told a joint press conference with Malta Prime Minister Joseph Muscat that ships from the two countries were responding to distress calls from an inflatable life-raft near the Libyan coast with 100 to 150 on board and to another boat with 300 people on board.

Mr Renzi said the rescue operations, coming after the deadly shipwreck this weekend, are evidence that smugglers’ activities are intensifying and that Europe needs to unite to combat the human trafficking in the Mediterranean.

Mr Muscat called the weekend tragedy “a game changer” with the “realisation that if Europe doesn’t work together history will judge it very badly”.

It comes as it was announced that European Union leaders will hold an emergency summit on Thursday to address the crisis.

(Press Association)