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Rescued migrant boat overcrowded like 'a pack of sardines'

The director of a small NGO which rescued a migrant boat in the Mediterranean says the 369 people on-board were overcrowded like “a pack of sardines”.

Brigadier Martin Xuereb, director of Migrant Offshore Aid Station, said the vessel was “heavily, heavily overloaded – there was imminent danger of loss of life”.

“Some people didn’t even have the capability to sit down, they were squashed standing up” said Xuereb.

“This goes beyond Europe, this goes beyond European nations, this goes beyond the coastal state. We think even civil society needs to play a role here,” he added.

This clip is originally from 5 live Drive on Monday 4 May 2015.

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4 minutes

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