'Many people sank with the boat,' says Coveney on 200 missing people now feared drowned

UPDATE (9.40pm): Approximately 200 people are still missing after a boat, carrying more than 700 people capsized off the Libyan coast.

'Many people sank with the boat,' says Coveney on 200 missing people now feared drowned

UPDATE (9.40pm): Approximately 200 people are still missing after a boat, carrying more than 700 people capsized off the Libyan coast.

So far around 400 people have been pulled to safety, but as darkness swallows the scene of the crisis tonight, most of those who remain missing are feared drowned.

Minister Simon Coveney, speaking on RTE's Nine News, said that although the LE Niamh was first to the scene of the accident, the boat - carrying approximately 700 people but built to carry only 50 - sank in seconds.

"Many people did not have time to get out and sank with the boat," said the Minister.

367 migrants have been rescued by the Irish navy's LE Niamh.

Commander Brian Fitzgerald from Naval Headquarters says the migrants ship went down extremely quickly.

"Despite how well we are trained for this particular situation, to deal with circa 700 people in the water at one time, when their vessel sank in less than one minute is an extraordinary challenge," said Commander Fitzgerald.

"And as we monitor the situation as the day unfolded, to have recovered 367 as we speak is an extraordinary achievement," he said.

Minister Simon Coveney said tonight, that a multi-faceted approach is needed to tackle the crisis. He said that the Irish Naval Service was doing an important job in search and rescue operations, but a "bigger and broader solution must be found."

UPDATE (7.52pm): The Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) boat, which is rescuing people with the LE Niamh, has posted photos to social media of a one-year-old Palestinian child who was saved from the water with her family.

Azeel and her family were transferred to another boat that will bring them to Italy.

Meanwhile calm Mediterranean seas belie the carnage that took place here just hours ago.

UPDATE (5.38pm):The Irish Defence Forces have confirmed that 25 people have died after a boat capsized off the coast of Libya.

UPDATE (4.53pm): Around 400 migrants have been saved from a shipwreck off the coast of Libya and 25 bodies have been recovered so far, the Italian Coast Guard said.

Commander Filippo Marini said the rescue operation is still ongoing and involves seven ships.

He said survivors have indicated that between 400 and 600 people were on board the ship when it capsized.

UPDATE (4.45pm): Defence Minister Simon Coveney said the death toll is significant and likely to rise.

“As the operation is currently ongoing, with all personnel fully engaged in the rescue, it is difficult to ascertain full details on the scale of the incident,” he said.

“However I understand that the fishing vessel capsized and that the loss of life is likely to be significant. The crew of the Niamh are working flat out with their counterparts to rescue as many as possible.”

“Our thoughts and prayers are with all those who have lost their lives, the survivors and the rescuers for whom this is an extremely difficult operation.”

Seventeen bodies were initially recovered from the sea, with the death toll expected to rise.

The incident is understood to have happened about 25 miles off the Libyan coast after the boat left from the city of Zuwara in the north-west of the country early this morning.

The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) said they had received reports that as many as 700 migrants had been on board.

The agency said it was receiving reports of a “significant number” of casualties.

Only days ago the IOM warned the death toll of migrants trying to cross the Mediterranean this year had reached 2,000 compared with 3,279 for the whole of 2014.

UPDATE (4pm): The crew of the Médecins Sans Frontières‎ (MSF) vessel Dignity I has said there had been “many deaths'' after a boat carrying an estimated 600 migrants has capsized north of Libya's coast.

The captain of Irish Navy vessel LE Niamh said earlier that around 150 people have been spotted in the water this morning.

Captain Donal Gallagher and that rescue efforts by several ships were underway.

The Defence Forces said the situation is "very fluid".

An Italian military helicopter was lowering life rafts.

“According to information currently available, there could have been up to 700 people on board at the time of the incident,” an MSF spokesman said.

“MSF can confirm that there are many confirmed deaths at the scene but cannot provide additional information at the moment.”

The Le Niamh was one of several ships requested by the Italian coastguard to speed to the rescue Capt Gallagher said.

Also involved in the rescue were an Italian vessel and boats operated by MSF.

In addition to Dignity I, two of the charity’s other search and rescue vessels in the Mediterranean – the MY Phoenix, which is operated with support from Moas, and the Bourbon Argos were also sent to the disaster site.

Non-governmental organisations often join in migrant sea rescue operations, which are co-ordinated by Italy’s coastguard and are now under the umbrella of a European Union task force known as Triton.

The distressed vessel was reported to be about 75 miles north west of Tripoli, Libya’s capital.

It is unclear how the tragedy unfolded but it has been speculated that the capsize occurred when a rescue ship initially approached and migrants rushed to one side making it unstable.

It is feared it will be the deadliest single incident of its kind since May when 800 migrants drowned when the boat they were in collided with a rescue vessel. Only 28 survivors, including two alleged smugglers, were found.

The International Organisation for Migration, a human rights group, has said nearly 2,000 migrants are believed to have died at sea since the start of this year, but the exact toll of dead is not known

Fleeing war, persecution and poverty, the migrants travel overland for weeks or months from sub-Saharan Africa, the Horn of Africa, the Middle East and parts of Asia to reach Libya.

There they set sail in flimsy motorised rubber dinghies or rickety old fishing boats. When the boats have problems, someone aboard contacts the coastguard by satellite phone requesting rescue. Other boats in distress are spotted by Triton air surveillance.

Most of the migrants hope to find asylum, relatives or jobs, mainly in northern Europe.

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