According to the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), almost 32,000 migrants have arrived in Europe by sea so far this year.
The Italian Coast Guard, which coordinates operations in the area, said the number of migrant arrivals to the coast could yet increase as rescue operations were continuing throughout Saturday.
European authorities and charity ships face a daunting task.
Friday's rescue operations were performed entirely by NGOs.
MSF tweeted: "How many people would have crossed if we weren't there today, Frontex?".
"Imagine to carry an eight-year-old boy's lifeless body into your house on Easter Sunday".
One rescue ship brought 504 migrants and one corpse to Pozzallo, Sicily, on Saturday and another boat brought about 500 other migrants to Augusta, Sicily.
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In all, Italy's coast guard coordinated about 20 separate rescues on Friday. Probably the same. How many would have died?
Migrants on a rubber dinghy await rescue by MOAS off the Libyan coast.
Her husband and co-MOAS founder Christopher Catrambone said that this weekend's events was unprecedented and that it was a "miracle" that MOAS managed to rescue everyone with no casualties.
The rest were picked up by the coastguard, the Phoenix - run by the Maltese organisation Moas - the German NGO Sea Eye and the German Jugend's Iuventa. Some 97 migrants are missing in that incident.
According to the IOM, "Sub-Saharan migrants were being sold and bought by Libyans, with the support of Ghanaians and Nigerians who work for them", as reported by its Niger staff. "We agree. Where are Frontex boats in a day like this?"
"The gun to my head made the difference", a young man called Caleb said after describing how he was forced onto a rubber dinghy late one night and losing sight of his father.
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