ABOARD THE M.Y. PHOENIX, in the Mediterranean Sea — A major rescue operation commenced in the central Mediterranean after a boat carrying around at least 600 migrants capsized 15 miles off the coast of Libya around 1 p.m. local time, the Italian Coast Guard and Doctors Without Borders has confirmed toMashable.
The Irish Defense Forces, whose naval ship the Le Niamh was first on the scene, said in a statement that 367 people pulled from the sea were on board, including 342 men, 12 women and 13 children. That leaves some 185-200 people still missing in the Mediterranean Sea, meaning the death toll is likely much higher.
Eight rescue vessels, a military helicopter and a military plane assisted in the rescue operation.
The boat flipped after those on board shifted to one side as two Rhibs from the Le Niamh approached it, the Irish Defense Forces said.
The MSF rescue vessel Dignity 1 responded to the site and offered assistance to the Le Niamh. "There are bodies in the water," a communications officer for Doctors Without Borders (MSF) told Mashable at the time.
http://mashable.com/2015/08/05/migrants-mediterranean-boat-disaster/
