FILE- This June 12, 2018 photo released Wednesday, June 13, 2018 by French NGO "SOS Mediterranee" shows migrants being transferred from the Aquarius ship to Italian Coast Guard boats, in the Mediterranean Sea. Italy dispatched two ships Tuesday to help take 629 migrants stuck off its shores on the days-long voyage to Spain, after the new populist government refused them safe port in a dramatic bid to force Europe to share the burden of unrelenting arrivals. (Kenny Karpov/SOS Mediterranee via AP, File)
The Associated Press
BARCELONA, Spain (AP) - Spain's maritime rescue service says it has saved 933 people and recovered four bodies from dozens of migrant boats attempting the perilous crossing of the Mediterranean Sea over the past two days.
The service said Saturday that it pulled the migrants from a total of 68 different smuggling boats that its rescue craft intercepted throughout Friday and Saturday morning after they departed from African shores.
The spike in arrivals comes as Spain prepares to receive another 630 migrants after Italy and Malta refused to let the aid boat Aquarius land in their ports last Saturday. The Aquarius and two Italian ships carrying the migrants are expected to arrive at Spain's eastern port of Valencia on Sunday.
The migrants will be met by emergency workers, including health officials and psychologists, at the city's marina.
Spanish authorities say they will examine the migrants case-by-case to see if they qualify for asylum according to the country's regulations.
The boatload of migrants that was forced to spend days crossing the western Mediterranean includes 123 unaccompanied minors, 11 children and as many as seven pregnant women, according to Valencia's regional authorities.
Spain announced Saturday that it has accepted an offer by the French government to take in those migrants who want to go to France "once they have fulfilled the protocols established for their arrival."
The statement said Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez "appreciated the cooperation of (French) President (Emmanuel) Macron and believes this is the framework of cooperation that Europe should use to respond" to immigration on the continent.
The refusal by Italy and Malta to allow the rescue boat Aquarius to enter their ports has created a row between European Union members over how to handle immigration.
Spain's new Socialist government has taken up the cause of the migrants' plight to demonstrate its commitment to protecting human rights and respecting international law.
Fleeing violent conflicts or extreme poverty, thousands of migrants attempt the dangerous journey into Europe each year in smugglers' dinghies.
At least 792 migrants have died crossing the Mediterranean so far this year, according to the United Nations. Through the first five months of 2018, a total of 35,455 migrants reached European shores, with 11,792 of them arriving in Spain.
FILE- In this Wednesday, June 13, 2018 file photo, migrants wait to disembark from Italian Coast Guard vessel "Diciotti" as it docks at the Sicilian port of Catania, southern Italy. The diplomatic spat this week between Italy, Malta and France over who should take responsibility for more than 600 people rescued at sea shows that the biggest challenge Europe faces today is migration. (AP Photo/Salvatore Cavalli, File)
The Associated Press
Italian Premier Giuseppe Conte, left, is welcomed by French President Emmanuel Macron at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, Friday, June 15, 2018. French President Emmanuel Macron and new Italian Premier Giuseppe Conte meet Friday amid tensions between the two countries over migration. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)
The Associated Press
Italian Premier Giuseppe Conte takes a glass of water during a joint press conference with French president Emmanuel Macron during their meeting at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, Friday, June 15, 2018. French President Emmanuel Macron and new Italian Premier Giuseppe Conte meet Friday amid tensions between the two countries over migration. (AP Photo/Francois Mori, pool)
The Associated Press
French president Emmanuel Macron attends a joint press conference with Italian Premier Giuseppe Conte during their meeting at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, Friday, June 15, 2018. French President Emmanuel Macron and new Italian Premier Giuseppe Conte meet Friday amid tensions between the two countries over migration. (AP Photo/Francois Mori, pool)
The Associated Press
FILE- In this Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2018 file photo, Turkish gendarmerie officers and workers with Turkey's Emergency and Disaster authority gather around the bodies of two children, by the river Meric at the border with Greece, in the northwestern province of Edirne, Turkey. The diplomatic spat this week between Italy, Malta and France over who should take responsibility for more than 600 people rescued at sea shows that the biggest challenge Europe faces today is migration. (AP Photo/Ergin Yildiz, File)
The Associated Press