A ship with nearly 1,200 Asian and African migrants, many in bad shape after weeks with little food or water, left the besieged Libyan city of Misrata on Friday for rebel-held Benghazi, an international aid agency said.
 

The chartered Greek vessel, Ionian Spirit, managed to unload 400 tonnes of aid supplies in Misrata overnight despite shelling on Thursday, the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) said.
 

"It left in the early hours of this morning with nearly 1,200 people on board," IOM spokeswoman Jemini Pandya told Reuters. "Men, women, children and elderly were on board, all dehydrated and weak. Many need medical attention."