A Libyan coast guard vessel fired warning shots and boarded a migrants rescue ship in the Mediterranean today, demanding that the migrants on board be handed over to them, a spokesman for the Mission Lifeline charity said.

Axel Steier, a spokesman for the German-based charity said the Libyan coast guard fired shots into the air as they approached. No one was injured.

Afterward two Libyan officers boarded the Lifeline ship and demanded that it hand over some 70 migrants just rescued from a wooden boat in international waters.

A Libyan coast guard spokesman in Tripoli declined to comment, saying he was seeking information. Italy's coast guard, which coordinates rescues, also declined to comment.

It was the latest incident reported between the Libyan coast guard and humanitarian rescue ships operating off North Africa. Financed, trained and equipped by Italy, the Tripoli-based coast guard is intercepting a growing number of migrant boats.

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.