Mediterranean crisis: 500 migrants rescued off Libya

Twelve migrants died and around 500 were rescued off the coast of Libya on Thursday when their rubber dinghy sank, reported the Italian Coast Guard.

Officials on the Coast Guard vessel Dattilo recovered bodies from the sea around 40 miles from Libya. They were able to rescue a further 106 people that had been on the same overcrowded dinghy, which was reportedly half submerged when assistance arrived. The vessel is now said to be helping with other rescue operations as the efforts to recover other survivors continues.

Some 393 migrants from other boats were saved in four operations by the Dattilo on Thursday, while a further 106 were rescued by two Coast Guard teams off the Italian island of Lampedusa. The nationalities of the victims and those who were saved have yet to be disclosed.

The migrant situation in the Mediterranean has reached crisis point, with tens of thousands of people fleeing war and poverty in the Middle East and Africa and attempting to cross into Greece and Italy this year, most of whom set sail from Libya. Authorities estimate that 2,000 have drowned in 2015 so far.