Refugees and migrants rescued off Libyan coast

With more than 300 refugees and migrants on board, Spanish NGO Proactiva Open Arms arrived at the Port of Pozzallo in Italy today after several days at sea.

Those rescued were trying to leave the Libyan coast and reach European soil aboard overcrowded wooden and rubber boats.

Spanish photojournalist Santi Palacios was aboard the rescue vessel and below are a selection of his photos.

In this Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2018 photo, about 450 Sub-Saharan refugees and migrants, mostly from Eritrea, wait to be rescued by aid workers of Spanish NGO Proactiva Open Arms, as they were trying to leave the Libyan coast and reach European soil aboard an overcrowded wooden boat, 34 miles north of Kasr-El-Karabulli, Libya. (AP Photo/Santi Palacios)

In this Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2018 photo a boy from Eritrea tries to leave the lower deck of a wooden boat with 450 people on aboard, as they were trying to leave the Libyan coast and reach European soil, 34 miles north of Kasr-El-Karabulli, Libya. (AP Photo/Santi Palacios)  

In this Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2018 photo, about 450 Sub-Saharan refugees and migrants, mostly from Eritrea, wait to be rescued by aid workers of Spanish NGO Proactiva Open Arms, as they were trying to leave the Libyan coast and reach European soil aboard an overcrowded wooden boat, 34 miles north of Kasr-El-Karabulli, Libya. (AP Photo/Santi Palacios)  

In this Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2018 photo Sub-Saharan refugees and migrants, mostly from Eritrea, wait to be rescued by aid workers of Spanish NGO Proactiva Open Arms, in the lower deck of a wooden as they were trying to leave the Libyan coast and reach European soil, 34 miles north of Kasr-El-Karabulli, Libya. (AP Photo/Santi Palacios) 

In this Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2018 photo, a boy from Eritrea tries to leave the lower deck of a wooden boat with 450 people on board, as they were trying to leave the Libyan coast and reach European soil, 34 miles north of Kasr-El-Karabulli, Libya. (AP Photo/Santi Palacios)  

In this Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2018, photo, about 450 Sub-Saharan refugees and migrants, mostly from Eritrea, wait to be rescued by aid workers of Spanish NGO Proactiva Open Arms, as they were trying to leave the Libyan coast and reach European soil aboard an overcrowded wooden boat, 34 miles north of Kasr-El-Karabulli, Libya. (AP Photo/Santi Palacios)  

In this Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2018 photo a woman from Eritrea tries to breathe inside the lower deck of a wooden boat with 450 people aboard, as they were trying to leave the Libyan coast and reach European soil, 34 miles north of Kasr-El-Karabulli, Libya. (AP Photo/Santi Palacios)  

In this Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2018 photo, a wooden boat used by 450 refugees and migrants, mostly from Eritrea, remains abandoned off the Libyan coast after they were rescued by aid workers of the Spanish NGO Proactiva Open Arms, 34 miles north of Kasr-El-Karabulli, Libya. (AP Photo/Santi Palacios) 

In this Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2018, photo, Sub-Saharan refugees and migrants from different nationalities trying to leave the Libyan coast and reach European soil aboard an overcrowded rubber boat are rescued by a team of aid workers from the Spanish NGO Proactiva Open Arms, 28 miles north of Al Khums, Libya. (AP Photo/Santi Palacios)  

In this Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2018, photo, a rubber boat carrying migrants from different nationalities trying to leave the Libyan coast and reach European soil is spotted by a team of aid workers from the Spanish NGO Proactiva Open Arms, 28 miles north of Al Khums, Libya. (AP Photo/Santi Palacios)  

In this Wednesday, Jan. 17, 2018 photo Sub-Saharan refugees and migrants from different nationalities rest aboard the Spanish NGO Proactiva Open Arms vessel after being rescued off the Libyan coast when they were trying to reach European soil, north of Sabratha, Libya. (AP Photo/Santi Palacios)  

In this Thursday, Jan. 18, 2018 photo Guillermo Cañardo, a doctor from the Spanish NGO Proactiva Open Arms, assists an Eritrean child as the organization's rescue vessel heads to Italy with more than 500 refugees and migrants on board. (AP Photo/Santi Palacios) 

In this Thursday, Jan. 18, 2018 photo a Sub-Saharan baby rests aboard the Spanish NGO Proactiva Open Arms vessel after being rescued off the Libyan coast when they were trying to reach European soil, north of Sabratha, Libya. (AP Photo/Santi Palacios) 

In this Thursday, Jan. 18, 2018 photo a doctor from the Spanish NGO Proactiva Open Arms assists an Eritrean woman as the organization's rescue vessel heads to Italy with more than 300 refugees and migrants on board. (AP Photo/Santi Palacios) 

In this Friday, Jan. 19, 2018 photo women and children from Eritrea sing and pray to celebrate their arrival to Europe aboard the Spanish NGO Proactiva Open Arms rescue vessel, Pozzallo, Sicily, Italy. (AP Photo/Santi Palacios)  

In this Friday, Jan. 19, 2018 photo children from Eritrea rest on board the Spanish NGO Proactiva Open Arms rescue ship as the vessel heads to the Italian port of Pozzallo, in Sicily. (AP Photo/Santi Palacios)  

In this Friday, Jan. 19, 2018 photo Sub-Saharan refugees and migrants aboard the Spanish NGO Proactiva Open Arms rescue ship look out to the sea as the vessel heads to the Italian port of Pozzallo, in Sicily. (AP Photo/Santi Palacios)  

In this Friday, Jan. 19, 2018 photo Sub-Saharan refugees and migrants look to the Italian authorities from aboard the Spanish NGO Proactiva Open Arms rescue vessel, at the port of Pozzallo, in Sicily, Italy. (AP Photo/Santi Palacios)  

In this Friday, Jan. 19, 2018 photo a child from Eritrea sings to celebrate his arrival to Europe aboard the Spanish NGO Proactiva Open Arms rescue vessel, Pozzallo, Sicily, Italy. (AP Photo/Santi Palacios) 

In this Friday, Jan. 19, 2018 photo aid workers from the Spanish NGO Proactiva Open Arms wait to disembark the lifeless bodies of an Eritrean man and 2 babies from the organization's rescue vessel, at the port of Pozzallo, in Sicily, Italy. (AP Photo/Santi Palacios) 

In this Friday, Jan. 19, 2018 photo aid workers from the Spanish NGO Proactiva Open Arms help refugees and migrants to disembark from the rescue vessel, at the port of Pozzallo, in Sicily, Italy. (AP Photo/Santi Palacios)  

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Photos by Santi Palacios

Santi Palacios on Instagram

See these photos on AP Images