They later told rescuers that 29 others had set off with them on the 300km (185 mile) journey from al-Zuwara on the Libyan coast to the Italian island of Lampedusa.

ECONOMIST: Illegal immigration to Italy

Key figures I have met, like the head of the local council of Libya's western city of Zuwara, Tariq al-Atoushi, warned that they would wholly reject a constitution that does not recognise their language and identity.

BBC: Slow rebirth for post-revolution Libya