A boat carrying a possible 700 migrants has capsized in the Mediterranean Sea off Libya's coast. Officials fear that many are dead.
Reuters reports that about 400 people have been rescued already. At least 25 are confirmed dead, and it is unclear as to the exact number of the passengers onboard when the boat tipped over.
The Mediterranean Sea has currently become the world's most dangerous border area for migrants. To date, more than 2,000 migrants and refugees have died this year in attempts to reach Europe by boat.
BBC reports that the capsizing incident occurred when the packed fishing boat ran into rough weather about 15 miles from Libya's coast.
The coast guard in Sicily received a distress call asking for help. In response, the first ship sent to rescue was the Irish Navy vessel, Lé Niamh. However, as the Lé Niamh approached the boat, the passengers apparently moved to one side causing the boat to capsize.
The Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) said its Dignity I vessel was also one of the first to arrive at the scene. Two more of the medical charity's boats arrived later in the day.
"The team on the #Dignity1 can confirm that there have tragically been many deaths but does not have figures at this stage," tweets the MSF.
The team on the #Dignity1 can confirm that there have tragically been many deaths but does not have figures at this stage
— MSF Sea (@MSF_Sea) August 5, 2015
"Those that were on deck would have managed to jump, some of them drowned and some of them were saved," said Martin Xuereb of the Malta Migrant Offshore Aid Station, one the groups involved in the rescue operation, to BBC.
Federico Fossi, UNHCR spokesman, said to Reuters that there could be as many as 100 people riding in the hull when the steel boat capsized as rescue ships approached it.
Melissa Fleming, also from the UNCHR, added, "The boat capsized very fast".
"I think it's unlikely that any additional survivors will be picked up," Xuereb adds.
Seven ships and three helicopters have been actively involved in the rescue operations. Survivors indicated that there are between 400 to 600 people on board the boat when it capsized, according to Cmdr Filippo Marini of the Italian Coast Guard.
"It was a horrific sight, people desperately clinging to lifebelts, boats and anything they could to fight for their lives," said MSF project coordinator, Juan Matías, in a statement released via MSF's website.
According to the Associated Press, such migrants, who are from sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East and some parts of Asia, travel to Libya to flee war, persecution and poverty. Once there, they would use rickety fishing boats, and when some problems arise, someone aboard contacts the coast guard to request rescue. Most of the migrants hope to find asylum, relatives or jobs, mainly in Northern Europe
