A SHOCKING VIDEO shows the rescue of a large group of migrants from a deflating dinghy in the Mediterranean.
Five bodies were recovered and more were feared drowned in the incident.
The video was shot from the cargo ship Zeran, which came to the migrants’ rescue, and was obtained by the Associated Press.
The ship rescued migrants from two boats over the weekend and docked at Catania’s port today with mostly West African survivors aboard.
In the footage, migrants jumped or fell from their deflating dinghy to catch lifesavers tossed into the water by Zeran crew members.
Others tried to grab hold of a rope lowered from the ship, and some people on board the dinghy emptied jerry cans of gasoline to use as floats.
Five bodies were all recovered from inside the dinghy, suggesting that the migrants had either died during the crossing or in the frantic final rush to be rescued.
The crew member who shot the footage estimated at least another five to nine people fell into the water and drowned, though one man floating away with the current and clinging to a lifesaver was rescued by crew on a Zeran lifeboat.
Once safely aboard, the survivors were patted down by crew members in protective gear to guard against scabies and other ailments.
- Additional reporting Aoife Barry
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