The German NGO Sea-Watch has said that a vessel with Libyan coastguard insignia attacked a dinghy carrying migrants and that the NGO's rescuers had pulled more than 100 from the water, but four had died.
A rubber boat packed with some 150 migrants was attacked by the crew of a speedboat labeled "Libyan Coast Guard" during a rescue operation on Friday, leading to four deaths, according to the German NGO Sea-Watch.
The group was delivering first aid to the migrant's rubber boat 14 nautical miles off the Libyan coast when the Libyan Coast Guard vessel arrived, Sea-Watch said in a statement posted on Facebook.
The men then began attacking refugees by "entering the rubber boat and hitting them with sticks," the rescue group said.
"The violent intervention of the Libyan Coast Guard caused a situation of mass panic on board the rubber boat in distress," the Sea-Watch statement read. "One tube of the rubber boat collapsed, causing the majority of the 150 people to slip into the water."
Refugees rescued in storm off Libya
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The group recovered four bodies and managed to rescue 120 out of the estimated 150 people on board. Sea-Watch said it was still conducting rescues in the area.
A spokesman for Libya's naval forces in Tripoli told the Reuters news agency that he was unaware of the incident. Both Italy's Coast Guard and a spokesman for the European Union's operation Sophia combating human-trafficking in the Mediterranean said they had no information about the attack.
Libyan training mission to start
It was not immediately clear whether or not the Sea-Watch report would impact plans to start training up to 100 Libyan Coast Guard members next week as part of the EU's Operation Sophia.
The first round of training is set to take place on two Italian and Dutch ships off the coast of Libya, according to information the German government provided to parliament. Equipment and trainers will be provided by Germany, Italy, Greece, Belgium and Great Britain.
"Next week training starts with the Libyan coast guard," Sea-Watch spokesman Ruben Neugebauer told Reuters. "We think it's quite important to think about with whom we are collaborating."
The use of so-called "push-backs" by members of Libya's Coast Guard to prevent refugees from reaching Europe is well known, but they are not usually associated with physical violence.
Once a luxury sailing boat, the Astral was donated to the NGO Proactiva Open Arms - whose mission is to rescue refugees - by Livio Lo Monaco, a successful Italian entrepreneur based in Spain.
Image: DW/K. Zurutuza
From the rich to the poorest
Once a luxury sailing boat, the Astral was donated to Proactiva Open Arms by Livio Lo Monaco, a successful Italian entrepreneur based in Spain. After refurbishing, the Astral started conducting search and rescue operations in the central Mediterranean area on July 1.
Image: DW/K. Zurutuza
Rescuers on board
The Astral crew is a mixed group of experienced rescuers, doctors and sailors, most of them volunteering during their vacation. Many joined the ranks of Proactiva Open Arms in Lesbos (Greece) last year, assisting refugees arriving from Turkey. The team rotates after a two-week mission off the Libyan coast.
Image: DW/K. Zurutuza
Born again
Several women make it on to the raft boats carrying their babies with them. Many get pregnant after being sexually abused during their journey across northern Africa or at the hands of human smugglers in Libya.
Image: DW/K. Zurutuza
Rescue and transfer
Given its small size -30 meters in length- Astral aims to assist refugees until they are transferred to a bigger boat. Here a batch of refugees is taken to the Vos Hestia, a rescue vessel currently operated by Save the Children in the central Mediterranean.
Image: DW/K. Zurutuza
Look but don't touch
Refugees are rarely brought aboard army vessels due to strict military protocols. "Unfortunately, European institutions are missing while they delegate the weight of the rescue operations on the handful of NGOs working in the area," Astral captain Riccardo Gatti told DW.
Image: DW/K. Zurutuza
Riders on the storm
The lack of bigger vessels in the area and bad weather conditions often force Astral to take the refugees to port. On those occasions, they get crammed inside the boat where there's literally no space to lay down and rest.
Image: DW/K. Zurutuza
On solid ground
Refugees are taken to southern Italian ports. "Some will ask for political asylum while others will be sent back following immigration agreements between Italy and their countries of origin," Frontex officials told DW. The International Organization for Migration has identified and located around 280,000 migrants in Libya.
Image: DW/K. Zurutuza
Coming aboard
When there are no bigger vessels around the Astral has to cater for the refugees. Over 15,000 have been assisted by the NGO since last July. Rescue operations are coordinated by the Maritime Rescue Coordination Center based in Rome.
