At least five migrants have drowned off the Libyan coast today after the heavily overcrowded boat they were on overturned, the Italian navy has revealed.
The navy said at least 550 people had been pulled to safety but added that the rescue operation was still underway and that the death toll could rise.
Shocking pictures show the vessel starting to lean to one side before refugees start diving into the water as it capsizes. Frantic passengers swam for their lives as the boat started to overturn and sink beneath the surface.
More than 6,000 migrants have been rescued from the Mediterranean in just over 48 hours as Italian officials revealed people smugglers now account for half of GDP along Libya's coast.
At least five migrants have drowned off the Libyan coast today after the heavily overcrowded boat they were sailing on overturned, the Italian navy has revealed
The navy said at least 550 people had been pulled to safety but added that the rescue operation was still underway and that the death toll could rise
Shocking pictures show the the vessel, crammed with refugees, starting to lean on to its side before refugees start diving into the water as it capsizes
Frantic passengers could be seen swimming for their lives as the boat started to overturn and sink beneath the surface. Some held on to the hull as it started to sink
The Italian patrol boat Bettica saw that the vessel was in difficulty and approached it to hand out life jackets, but before it could begin a rescue the boat flipped over due to the sudden movement of the passengers, a statement said
'Shortly afterwards the boat overturned due to overcrowding. The Bettica, which had arrived nearby, threw life-rafts and jackets' to the migrants in the water, while another navy ship in the area sent a helicopter and rescue boats.
It comes after more than 2,600 refugees were picked up on Monday off the Libyan coast and a further 3,000 were helped to shore by Italian ships yesterday while 550 more were also turned back by Libya's coastguard.
Italian officials estimated that between 30 and 50 per cent of gross domestic product in Tripolitania in northwest Libya comes from people smuggling.
Rescue bid: Pictures show the refugees waiting in the water after being thrown in to the sea by the vessel as it was capsizing off Libya
A helicopter was soon called in as the scale of the emergency became clear. Hundreds of migrants were plucked from the water during the rescue mission
At least five migrants have drowned after the heavily overcrowded boat they were sailing on overturned, the Italian navy said
The Bettica patrol boat had spotted 'a boat in precarious conditions off the coast of Libya with numerous migrants aboard,' it said in a statement
Meanwhile the European Union's Mediterranean naval force is offering to train Libyans to run a small coastguard fleet to be able to fight people smuggling in under three months, the admiral in charge of the mission said on Wednesday.
'In 14 weeks we can train the first 100 men in international waters by turning one of our ships into a school,' Admiral Enrico Credendino said in an interview with Italy's la Repubblica newspaper.
'There are eight patrol boats ready for delivery that had been equipped by Italy for the Libyan government before civil war broke out,' he said.
More personnel and boats will be needed, he said, but further resources will have to be set aside in Brussels first and then 'in three or four months the Libyans will be able to act autonomously'.
Navy swimmers are also shown pulling migrants in lifebelts toward the Bettica, according to the navy pictures. Women wearing head scarves and children were among those rescued, but no details of the migrants' nationalities have been given
The Italian navy patrol boat Bettica saw that the vessel was in difficulty and approached it to hand out life jackets, but before it could begin a rescue the boat flipped over due to the sudden movement of the passengers, a statement said
Several rubber motor boats are being used in the rescue operations, and the navy frigate Bergamini has deployed a helicopter
Bettica has launched lifeboats and life jackets, while the frigate Bergamini, which is also in the area, has sent helicopters and boats to assist in the rescue
The EU force, known as operation Sophia, was set up to fight people smuggling in the south-central Mediterranean, but it cannot enter Libyan waters without an invitation from the government, of which there are two vying for power in Tripoli and Benghazi.
On Monday and Tuesday, Italy's coastguard said 5,600 migrants had been rescued, including by ships participating in the Sophia mission. More than 30,000 have come so far this year, down slightly from last year, the Italian government has said.
The Libyan coastguard has also intercepted migrant boats, with 550 turned back to Libya on Tuesday and 850 on Sunday.
Officials fear the numbers will increase as weather conditions continue to improve. Credendino said that some 150,000 migrants were in Libya and ready to make the crossing, much less than some have estimated.
More than 6,000 migrants have been rescued from the Mediterranean in just over 48 hours. Refugees are pictured after being rescued by the Italian ship Aquarius
Migrants smile on board the rescue ship 'Aquarius', on May 25 - a day after a rescue operation off the Libyan coast
Italian officials estimated that between 30 and 50 per cent of gross domestic product in Tripolitania in northwest Libya comes from people smuggling
The Libyan coastguard has also intercepted migrant boats, with 550 turned back to Libya on Tuesday and 850 on Sunday
'Today the estimate is that between 30 and 50 percent of gross domestic product in Tripolitania (northwest Libya) comes from people smuggling, with entire tribal clans earning money from it,' Credendino said.
ISIS militants in Libya are not directly involved in people smuggling, he said, but do extort the traffickers who operate in their territory, he said.
For the EU force to intervene directly in Libya or to impose a weapons embargo, a United Nations resolution and more resources would be needed, he said.
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