Spain's maritime rescue service says it saved hundreds of migrants while they were attempting to cross the Mediterranean Sea in the last three days.

The service reported on Monday that it pulled 416 people from 10 different boats its rescue craft had intercepted starting on Saturday.

Spain became the leading entry point to Europe last year, with 60,000 migrants arriving irregularly. The number arriving by sea peaked in October at 11,000 and fell to under 600 in March, according to Spain's Interior Ministry.

The U.N. refugee agency says more than 800 people are either missing or known to have perished in 2018 while making the dangerous sea journey to Spain.