Nato and European military crews 'left 61 migrants to die of thirst while stranded on boat from Libya' - 9th May 2011

Migrants fleeing the Libyan civil war were left to die in the boat they escaped in when Nato and European military crews ignored their pleas for help, it was claimed today.

Sixty-one migrants who left the port of Tripoli headed for Italy died on the boat after it ran into trouble, leaving just nine survivors to explain how a helicopter and warship did not come to their aid despite apparently knowing of their plight.

They also claimed the Italian coastguard was alerted to their perilous situation but apparently ignored the boat, in breach of maritime law.

Abu Kurke, a survivor of the tragedy which began in March, told the Guardian: 'By the final days, we didn't know ourselves... everyone was either praying or dying.'

The boat was reported to have drifted on open water for 16 days, resulting in the mass deaths from thirst and starvation.

It reportedly drifted past a French warship and even received some supplies from a helicopter with the word Army painted on it, but the aircraft never returned.

The boat eventually beached near Misrata, Libya, on April 10.

Campaigners were today demanding an investigation into the deaths which come amid a growing refugee crisis as a result of people attempting to flee from violence across the Arab world. Read More