Stranded refugees rescued by tourists and locals on Italian beach

Holidaymakers provide people with water, fruit juice and food from their cooler bags

Some beach goers got into boats and helped the shipwrecked refugees to shore

Holidaymakers and locals at a beach in Italy were the first to help dozens of refugees when their boat ran aground.

The vessel, carrying 56 Kurds from Syria and Iraq, got into difficulty in the Crotone area of Calabria in Southern Italy at around 7.30am on Wednesday morning.

When it became clear the boat was stuck several metres from the shore, some beachgoers got into boats and helped the shipwrecked refugees to the coastline, according to Italian daily República.

Others provided the 39 men, six women and 11 children with water, fruit juice and food from their cooler bags.

Italy has taken a hard line on refugees under the leadership of far-right interior minister Matteo Salvini. On Tuesday, Mr Salvini dismissed the European Union's latest migration plan as a "charity handout" after Brussels proposed a €6,000 (£5,346) payment to member states for every migrant hosted at a secure centre on their land.

Despite a sharp drop in the number of migrants making the perilous Mediterranean crossing, migration has become a political crisis since the interior minister refused to allow boats carrying migrants to dock at its ports.

The country’s government softened its line this week, saying it would temporarily lift the embargo over August while the bloc worked out a new policy.