A humanitarian group has said that Libya’s coast guard fired upon its vessel as it searched for a refugee and migrant boat in distress in the Mediterranean Sea.

On Monday, the nonprofit SOS Mediterranee said the confrontation occurred a day earlier, about 40 nautical miles (74km) north of the Libyan coast, and released details and images of the incident. No casualties have been reported, although the group said the vessel sustained significant damage.

SOS Mediterranee charters the Norwegian-flagged Ocean Viking in partnership with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.

The attack appeared to be one of the most violent involving a European rescue ship and the Libyan coast guard, which receives training, equipment and funding from the European Union.

The patrol boat used in the attack was a 2023 gift from Italy to the Libyan coast guard as part of the EU’s support for a border management programme, SOS Mediterranee said.

Before it was attacked, the Ocean Viking had rescued 87 people from two boats, including many from war-torn Sudan, and was on its way to Italy.

While searching for a third boat in distress, the Ocean Viking was approached by a Libyan patrol vessel in international waters, Angelo Selim, the search-and-rescue coordinator on board, told The Associated Press.

When they were very close, he said, they started shooting for 15 to 20 minutes.

“In the beginning, I didn’t understand the noise of the shots. But when the first windows exploded on my head, we all got on the floor,” Selim recalled. He added that some of the shots appeared to come from automatic weapons.

Selim said he instructed the refugees and migrants and non-essential crew members to lock themselves inside the safety room while he and the captain remained on the bridge.