The girl was found following a storm that had lasted for days, with winds reaching more than 23 knots and waves above 2½ metres.

The Totamar III, a 13-metre vessel with a rotating crew of six, has rescued more than 230 people since joining humanitarian rescue efforts 16 months ago. After picking up the girl, the boat distributed life jackets to 53 people aboard a wooden boat without a motor, and reported their location to Italian authorities.

In all, the crew has assisted 1700 people, handing out life jackets, alerting authorities and staying with them until rescue arrives. In cases when the situation worsens, the stranded people are transferred on board the sailing ship, Tempel said.

According to UN statistics, which are based largely on survivor accounts, 1536 people have died or gone missing and are presumed dead in the central Mediterranean Sea so far this year. A total of 64,234 had reached Italy up to Thursday, according to the Italian Interior Ministry. That’s down by 58 per cent from last year, when 153,211 had arrived in the period.

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“I want to emphasise, this girl is just a sign for the [deaths] in the Mediterranean,” Tempel said. “She’s one person, and it’s very sad that she probably lost her relatives. But it is just a symbol for the tragedy that is happening.”

AP