Thirty people have died in the Mediterranean after a boat carrying migrants from Libya capsized in bad weather.
Alarm Phone, a charity monitoring distress calls from migrant vessels crossing to Europe, posted on Twitter on Sunday afternoon that a boat reported to be carrying 47 people had capsized 110 miles (176km) north-west of Benghazi.
Around 9pm on Sunday the charity posted an update to its website, stating that 30 people had lost their lives after the boat capsized. The merchant vessel FROLAND picked up and saved 17 people, who saw friends and family die next to them.
"The Alarm Phone was alerted by 47 people on a boat in distress, trying to escape from the inhumane conditions in Libya. They relayed their GPS position (N 33°56, E018°28) which we forwarded to the Italian, Maltese, and Libyan authorities at 2:28h CET on 11 March," the update read.
"The situation was critical. The boat was adrift. The weather conditions were extremely dangerous. The people on board were screaming on the phone that they needed help."
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Crosses and flowers to pay homage to the victims of the Steccato di Cutro shipwreck, which left 72 migrants dead earlier this month (CARMELO IMBESI/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)Alarm Phone said workers had contacted the Italian Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre a number of times but that the centre did not send out Italian assets or assets of operation IRINI to help in time.
An image purporting to show the vessel was shared on Twitter by charity Sea-Watch International, which also said it had been in contact with people on the boat.
A third charity - Mediterranea Saving Humans - said Italian authorities had been instructing merchant vessels to observe the situation but not to carry out a rescue attempt.
Luca Casarini, Mediterranea's head of mission, said four merchant vessels were still in the area.
On Sunday evening the Italian coastguard confirmed 17 people had been recovered from the scene.
Two of those rescued would be taken to Malta as they needed urgent medical attention. The rest of those rescued would be taken to Italy.
According to the Italian coastguard, the migrant boat capsized while rescue attempts were underway.
The incident had occurred outside of the country's search and rescue area.
The tragedy comes just days after survivors of another migrant boat crossing claimed people smugglers threw children into the sea to try and stop an overcrowded wooden boat from sinking off the coast of Italy.
At least 65 people, including 14 children, died in the migration tragedy when their boat slammed into sandbanks and broke apart in rough seas early last Sunday.
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Eighty people survived but dozens more are feared dead since survivors indicated the boat had carried about 170 people when it set off last week from Izmir.
Crossing organisers charged £7,000 (€8,000) each for the "voyage of death" from Turkey, according to Italy's customs police.
Aid groups at the scene said many of the passengers came from Afghanistan, including entire families, as well as from Pakistan, Syria and Iraq.
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