The Irish Naval vessel LE Samuel Beckett has rescued almost 220 people off the Libyan coast.

At around 5am Irish time, the ship located a 12-metre rubber vessel with 85 people on board around 40 miles north east of Tripoli.

A short time later, a similar craft with 133 people on board was found.

All 218 migrants are on board the LE Samuel Beckett, 97 men, 30 women - one of whom is pregnant - and six children.

The Irish vessel, and its predecessors in the area, LE Eithne and LE Niamh, have between them rescued around 8 thousand refugees in the Mediterranean.