OVER 300 people could have died in the central Mediterranean today were it not for the actions of the activist-run network of refugee rescuers.

The crew of the Geo Barents rescue ship, with the help of the distress hotline organisation Alarm Phone, saved the lives of about 336 people in two operations in less than 12 hours between Monday night and this morning.

Both rescues occurred in Malta's search-and-rescue (SAR) zone, a section of the central Mediterranean in which the island nation is legally responsible for coordinating rescues, without its help.