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At least 15 refugees dead in Mediterranean shipwreck
Meanwhile, 363 who were rescued this weekend by the crew of an NGO rescue ship still wait for Italy or Malta to allow them to come ashore
The Sea Watch 3's rescue crew evacuate people from a boat in distress in the central Mediterranean. In the background is the Sea Watch 3 and a Libyan coastguard vessel [Selene Magnolia / Sea-Watch]

AT LEAST 15 people drowned in the central Mediterranean at the weekend while attempting to flee Libya, though the death toll could have been much higher if civilian rescuers had not intervened.

Activist network Alarm Phone received a distress call early yesterday morning from a rubber boat carrying about 125 people.

The boat was deflating, the caller told Alarm Phone, and some people had already fallen overboard.

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