'Libyan coast guard' KILLS migrants on boat
A MIGRANT aide group called Sea Watch has claimed that a speedboat which carried armed men who killed around four migrants on a vessel off the coast of Libya was marked 'Libyan Coast Guard'.
The aid group was attempting to rescue the migrants when the attack happened
The German Aid Group was deployed to rescue migrants on three overcrowded boats on Thursday night when one of them was attacked.
The Italian coast guard called Sea Watch to help to rescue the fully loaded migrant vessel with 150 migrants on board.
The rescue team had begun to issue life vests to the migrants when a speedboat with the sign of the Libyan coast guard appeared.
Thousands of migrants have died in the past few years trying to get to Europe
The violent intervention of the Libyan Coast Guard caused a situation of mass panic on board the rubber boat in distress
According to the rescue organisation, the men got onto one of the boats with migrants on and started beating them with club.
Following on from this, panic erupted among the migrants, their boat capsized and people fell into the water.
According to German press, the Sea Watch team saved 120 migrants.
Sea Watch said: "The violent intervention of the Libyan Coast Guard caused a situation of mass panic on board the rubber boat in distress."
The Italian coast guard called Sea Watch to rescue the migrants
Italy lashes out at EU states for not taking in refugees
The boat was 14 nautical miles off the Libyan coast in international waters.
The Italian coast guard confirmed the rescue of 120 migrants by Sea Watch, but could not provide information about the circumstances.
In mid-august the volunteer organisation, Médecins Sans Frontières, reported an incident with the Libyan coast guard when armed men fired at a boat with migrants on board.
The Libyan navy said it fired warning shots as they believed that the vessel was linked with people smuggling.
The United Nations says at least 3,654 people have died trying to cross the Mediterranean this year.