A Libyan coast guard vessel actively hindered a migrant rescue operation and left at least one person to drown last week, video released on Italian news outlets has revealed.
In the video, the Libyan vessel can be seen moving away from the shipwreck despite repeated warnings by an Italian helicopter pilot.
"This is the Italian navy. You must stop now, now, now!" the pilot tells the Libyan vessel. "There are people in the water. You have a person on your right side. Stop your engine, stop your engine."
Despite the repeated warnings, the Libyan coast guard sailed away. The video was published by Rai, La Repubblica and other sites.
Five people lost their lives and more than 50 went missing during the shipwreck, with maritime rescue NGO SeaWatch coming to the rescue of survivors.
Libya's coast guard has received significant injections of EU aid in the past year, with European countries paying for coast guard training and providing Libya with vessels to patrol its shores.
Despite the help, Libya's coast guard has been accused of abusing migrants by various NGOs, with Amnesty International having called for the EU to cut all ties with the country's coast guard.