Conditions at a migrant reception centre on the island of Lampedusa are "getting desperate", an Italian official has told the BBC.
There are now more than 1,000 men, women and children housed at the centre, which is over double its capacity.
Some 2,700 migrants have been rescued from the Mediterranean since Saturday, the UN's refugee agency (UNHCR) said.
Boats carrying more people are due to dock at Lamepdusa later on Tuesday.
The influx has added more pressure to the already overflowing reception centre.
The centre's capacity has been reduced to 250 while refurbishment work is being carried out. It can normally accommodate 400 people.
The BBC's Tom Burridge on Lampedusa says he has seen bus loads of men, women and children being transported around the island.
"There were some children without their parents, as young as 9," he said.
The Italian coastguard faced armed men during a recent rescue operation
Around 2,000 of the migrants were saved during a major operation off the Libyan coast over the weekend.
The Italian coastguard said its members were threatened by Kalashnikov-wielding men as they attempted to rescue people from dinghies.
'Too little'Lampedusa's proximity to North Africa has made it a regular target for tens of thousands of migrants attempting to reach Europe. About 3,500 died in 2014.
Earlier this month, at least 300 people drowned when the dinghies they were travelling in got into trouble after leaving Libya. The survivors were brought to Lampedusa.
The UNHCR said last week that more migrants were dying because search and rescue efforts have been reduced.
Italy's major patrol and rescue operation Mare Nostrum ended last year. A smaller scale EU operation, Triton, took over.
"The EU has done too little too late," said Carlotta Sami, the UNHCR's representative for southern Europe.
"The influx of refugees and migrants crossing the Mediterranean will not stop."
But other European countries, including the UK, said a rescue service could encourage more migrants to attempt the perilous journey.
Italian migrant centre 'overwhelmed'
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