Rome, Aug 27 (IANS): The private aid organisation SOS Mediterranee on Saturday said it rescued a group of migrants from a vessel in distress in the Mediterranean.

The crew of the Ocean Viking rescue ship took almost 60 people on board from an overcrowded wooden boat in the Maltese search zone during their fifth mission within 36 hours, dpa news agency quoted the organisation as saying.

Among those rescued was a baby aged only a few weeks.

According to SOS Mediterranee, there are currently almost 270 migrants on board the Ocean Viking.

Most of the people set off from the coasts of North Africa, for example from Libya or Tunisia, to reach the European Union via the Mediterranean.

Private aid organisations regularly come to the area to rescue people at sea.

Italian authorities, often after a protracted wait, then allow the migrants to disembark on the small island of Lampedusa, Sicily or the southern mainland.

Italy's right-wing parties have declared in the current election campaign that they want to stop migrant arrivals.