Boat Tragedy Captain Denies Causing Deaths

The man in charge of the boat which capsized in the Mediterranean - killing at least 800 people - has appeared in court.

Tunisian Mohammed Ali Malek, 27, is accused of multiple first degree homicides, causing a shipwreck and people trafficking.

He sat emotionless behind a glass screen, as TV crews including Sky News were allowed inside the court.

Authorities fear up to 920 migrants died when the ship carrying them sunk in waters between Libya and the Italian island of Lampedusa.

Malek was one of only 28 survivors, and Italian investigators say the tragedy was caused by him accidentally ramming his boat into a cargo ship, which had gone to its rescue.

The collision caused those on board to move around and the overcrowded vessel to capsize, said prosecutors.

But Malek's lawyer, Massimo Ferrante, denied his client was responsible.

"He says he was like all the others, a migrant on board the fishing boat and that he paid a sum of money for the trip to the Italian coast," he said.

A 25-year-old Syrian, Mahmud Bikhit, who prosecutors believe was a crew member, has denied involvement and accused Malek of being in charge of the vessel.

His lawyer, Giuseppe Russo, told Sky News: "My client is completely innocent - he can't feel remorse for a crime he has not committed.

"He was a passenger and therefore a victim and should not be accused in this way."

Some of survivors are giving evidence in court.

Prosecutors say up to 1,200 migrants had been housed in a warehouse on the outskirts of Tripoli for up to a month before the trip.

They say a number of them were beaten with clubs - some fatally - if they did not obey orders.

On the day of the crossing, prosecutors said one young boy was thrown overboard during the transport to the fishing ship because he stood up without permission on the rubber dinghy.

Italian prosecutors have claimed that as many as one million people are waiting in Libya for the chance to get into the traffickers' boats and reach Europe.

The United Nations refugee agency said the European Union's plan to triple its naval search mission in the Mediterranean for migrants was an "important first step towards collective European action".

Addressing the UN Security Council on the Syrian conflict , Angelina Jolie touched upon the migrant crisis in the Mediterranean, where hundreds of people have drowned at sea after attempting to flee the country.

The actress, who is a long-serving special envoy to the UN, said: "It is sickening to see thousands of refugees drowning on the doorstep of the world's wealthiest continent.

"No one risks the lives of their children in this way except out of utter desperation."