Up to 30 migrants are feared dead after a boat capsized off the Libyan coast while some 50 have been rescued by EU vessels from the sea.

Another 24 Bangladeshis are likely to have met their watery grave off the coast of foreign land thousands of miles away from home.

The Italian navy organizes the rescue of around 4,400 migrants in waters off the Libyan coast, prompted by requests for help received from nearly two dozen boats, in one of the biggest multi-national operations so far.

Italian coastguard rescue over 2,000 migrants in difficulty between Italian island of Lampedusa and Libyan coast