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 to Mashable.
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.
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
Two other vessels, including an Italian naval ship, also arrived at the area. An Italian military helicopter dropped additional life rafts into the water and scoured the area for anyone else still in the sea before returning to its naval ship.
Italian military helicopter involved in today's search & rescue effort landing on naval ship. pic.twitter.com/sNo9lHCjox— Christopher Miller (@ChristopherJM) August 5, 2015
The Phoenix, operated by Migrant Offshore Aid Station (MOAS), deployed its drone to assist in the search for any more survivors, but none were found.
The @moas_eu drone has been deployed over the disaster area in the Med to assist in search & rescue operation. pic.twitter.com/iWCGNOwBAZ— Christopher Miller (@ChristopherJM) August 5, 2015
The boat carrying the migrants is believed to have departed from the Libyan city of Zuwara early Wednesday morning. It phoned in its coordinates after sunrise to the Italian Coast Guard, which in turn radioed to the Dignity 1 and the Phoenix, according to the Phoenix's crew. The Dignity 1, being closer to the boat's location, proceeded there first.
But the ship was hung up when it spotted another migrant boat, from which it rescued 94 people, including 17 women and a five-year-old boy.
BREAKING: The #Dignity1 has just rescued 94 people from a rubber boat including 17 woman and a five-year old boy pic.twitter.com/6HcigSXUpM— MSF Sea (@MSF_Sea) August 5, 2015
The migrant's boat with some 600 people had already sunk by the time the Dignity arrived after 1 p.m., MSF staff said.
Given the number of people confirmed dead and the hundreds believed to be aboard the migrant boat who are still missing and may never be found, Thursday's tragedy could be among the worst at sea since April, when another migrant ship capsized, leaving more than 800 people dead.
We will never know how many people were devoured by the #Mediterranean Sea this afternoon pic.twitter.com/eOTgYEDDYA— MSF Sea (@MSF_Sea) August 5, 2015
One Italian Coast Guard ship still patrolling the waters, but ships leaving the area, search appears all but over. pic.twitter.com/1VD26EMQW0— Christopher Miller (@ChristopherJM) August 5, 2015
The central Mediterranean sea route is the deadliest passage for migrants, according to the IMO. More than 2,000 migrants have died this year trying to cross the deadly Mediterranean to reach Europe, it said.
"That's 2,000 preventable deaths at the hands of #FortressEurope & restrictive migration policy," MSF wrote on Twitter.
In the same period last year, 1,607 migrants died at sea, according to the IMO. In all of 2014, 3,279 were killed attempting the journey.