AS THE bodies of the 114 people who died in four shipwrecks in the central Mediterranean this week began washing up on Libya’s shores today, the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) revealed that the death toll in the region this year has now passed 900.

At least 74 people died in a shipwreck involving 120 people off the coast of al-Khums, east of Tripoli, on Thursday. Another 20 died in a separate incident in waters near the city of Surman.

On Wednesday, six refugees died, including a six-month-old baby boy, after their boat was ripped in half during a rescue operation by the non-government ship Open Arms.

A further 14 died in a shipwreck off Libya’s coast on Tuesday.

IOM spokeswoman Safa Msehli today called on the European Union to change its approach to the situation in Libya and the central Mediterranean, to end the return of migrants to the country and establish a predictable, safe disembarkation mechanism for refugees rescued at sea.

“IOM maintains that Libya is not a safe port for return and reiterates its call on the international community and the European Union to take urgent and concrete action to end the cycle of return and exploitation,” Ms Msehli said.

The Open Arms crew saved the lives of a further 64 people in a second operation on Wednesday night after the Star went to press, bringing the total number of rescued people aboard the ship to 259.

On Thursday, the charity released photos and footage from its first operation the day before of the moment the dinghy carrying 118 refugees spilt in half.

In the video, a refugee woman can be seen writhing on the floor of the rescuers’ rigid-hull inflatable boat screaming for her lost baby.

“Listen to the sound of the shipwreck we lived through yesterday,” Open Arms posted above the video on Thursday.

“The desperate cry of a mother in search of her six-month-old baby, amid the chaos.

“We recovered him from the sea in respiratory arrest. He went back [aboard the ship], but hours later his small body [could] not resist. She is the mother of Joseph.”

Five others from the dinghy also died today.

The Open Arms is the first NGO refugee rescue ship to operate in the central Mediterranean since the Italian and other European coastguard authorities blocked seven civil rescue vessels from leaving port.

International medical charity Emergency, which has doctors on board the Open Arms said yesterday: “There were many reports of boats in difficulty that needed to be rescued, but no humanitarian or governmental vessel in the area other than ours.

“The survivors, who come mainly from Eritrea, Togo, Sudan, Guinea, Burkina Faso, Somalia, Burundi, Ghana, Ethiopia and the Ivory Coast, are in poor physical and psychological health and must be able to disembark in a safe harbour as soon as possible.”

The Star understands that the Italian authorities have ordered the ship to make a course for Trapani, Sicily, but it is not clear if the refugees will be allowed to disembark there yet.

Earlier this morning German NGO Sea Watch shared an image of an emergency navigational telex (navtex) message one of its ships received from Malta on behalf of the EU-supported Libyan coastguard today.

“... On behalf of the Libyan navy coastguard...,” the navtex reads, “we inform you that there is one rubber boat in distress with people in the water ...

“Divert your course in this position with maximum speed and when in visual contact with the rubber boat, please contact [the Libyan authorities]... for further instructions.”

The EU has continued to fund, train and support the Libyan coastguard despite its own concerns that the war-torn country’s government may be violating the human rights of migrants and profiting from their detention.

"Our ship is blocked by the Italian authorities in Palermo," Sea Watch said above the image of navtex.

“Who will help these people? We ask for the intervention of the European authorities.”

The NGOs ships Sea Watch 3 and Sea Watch 4 have been held in Sicily for a slew of alleged safety irregularities following the rescues of hundreds of refugees since July and September respectively.

Later this afternoon Alarm Phone, an activist network operating a distress hotline for migrants at sea, announced that three boats in distress carrying a total of around 230 people that had been in contact with them had made it to Italy.

“[The] boats with 89 and 70 people were rescued to Lampedusa,” Alarm Phone said.

“A third boat with 70 people in Malta’s [search-and-rescue zone] which we had lost contact with has arrived in Italy, according to relatives.  

“We’re relieved about some good news amidst all the bad!”