Captain of Capsized Mediterranean Boat in Court

Mohammed Ali Malek, the suspected captain of the capsized boat, appears in court

The man accused of captaining a boat that capsized off Libya with the loss of more than 750 lives has appeared in court on the Italian island of Sicily.

Prosecutors want to charge Mohammed Ali Malek, a 27-year-old Tunisian, with homicide and people-trafficking.

Mr Malek's lawyer says his client is keen to tell his story to prove his innocence to the court in Catania.

One of the 28 survivors has given nearly five hours of testimony. Three others are due to speak later.

Prosecutors say survivors identified Mr Malek as the captain of the boat who accidentally rammed the overloaded fishing boat into a merchant ship that had come to rescue it, last Sunday.

The boat capsized with hundreds of migrants allegedly locked in its lower decks and unable to get out.

The death toll is believed to be the highest from a single such incident.