The Ocean Viking migrant ship saves people from the sea off Libya on August 10, 2019 (Photo: AFP/VNA)

UNHCR special envoy Vincent Cochetel said this is a race against time because the storms are coming and conditions are only going to get worse. 

The migrants are aboard two ships chartered by humanitarian aid groups, but Italy’s anti-migrant government is denying them access to its ports. The UNHCR says nearly 600 people have died or gone missing in waters between Libya and Italy this year.