Navy Ship Picks Up 1,200 Rescued Migrants

Royal Navy ship HMS Bulwark has taken on board 1,200 refugees amid an ongoing rescue mission off the Libyan coast.

The assault vessel had raced to the area as part of a multi-national operation in response to intelligence reports of craft carrying migrants in open water.

It is the highest number of refugees the Royal Navy ship has so far picked up, having previously rescued 747 people from dangerously overcrowded vessels in a similar operation last month.

It is not known if the 1,200 people onboard the British vessel include any of the 3,500 migrants saved from the Mediterranean on Saturday in a joint operation by Italian, Irish and German ships.

The UK rescue mission saw HMS Bulwark go to the assistance of five migrant vessels, four of which were rubber inflatables.

Those onboard were picked up by landing craft, usually used to put ashore Royal Marine commandos, which then took them back to the main ship where they would be processed, and those in the most urgent need given medical attention.

Pregnant women were among those rescued.

HMS Bulwark was sent to help tackle the growing migrant crisis in the Mediterranean after more than 800 people died on a boat travelling from Libya in April.

In recent weeks, the warship has intercepted several stricken boats as they made the perilous journey.

It is estimated more than 1,600 people have drowned so far this year attempting to make the crossing.

Despite the dangers, the number of people is increasing.

The Italian government forecasts 200,000 will arrive this year, up from 170,000 in 2014.

Bulwark's Captain Nick Cooke-Priest said up to half a million migrants are massing in Libya to try and make the treacherous crossing to mainland Europe.

Speaking at a meeting of the G7 in Germany, Prime Minister David Cameron said: "HMS Bulwark, the Royal Navy flagship, is in the Mediterranean because we want to save lives.

"Britain is a country that doesn't walk on by. We are a country with a conscience and that's right.

"But we also need to do more to to these people leaving their countries in the first place.

"That's what we are using our aid budget for.

"We need to deal with the causes of this migration, not simply with its consequences."

Many of the refugees are fleeing the Libyan civil war, where the turmoil is allowing the people smugglers to work virtually unimpeded.