Rescuers stranded off Sicily after saving men and boys from sinking boat speak to ITV News from the Mediterranean Sea

• Four British rescuers are currently stranded off Sicily after rescuing 47 men and boys from a sinking boat in the Mediterranean sea.

• They are being investigated by Italian authorities for assisting illegal migration.

• They are calling on the UK government to help them as they struggle to care for the distressed people on board who they say are suffering from PTSD.

Four British rescuers are stranded off the coast of Sicily after rescuing 47 migrants from the sea.

The crew of Sea-Watch 3 rescued the men and boys from the Mediterranean as their inflatable boat was losing air, and they feared for the lives of those on board.

The crew showed ITV News around the boat via the internet.

But they are now facing an investigation by Italian authorities who accuse them of assisting illegal migration, and cannot leave either their boat or the waters they are docked in.

The Italian interior minister has accused the captain and crew of "a crime and a clear desire to use these immigrants in a political battle"

The crew say those rescued are suffering with PTSD, they're running out of supplies and two out of their three toilets are full up.

Brendan Woodhouse, from near Matlock in Derbyshire, is among the crew members.

Also on the boat are chief engineer Jon Stone, a 32-year-old former Navyserviceman from Lincoln, and bosun Dan Bebawi, 39, formally a car mechanic in Nottingham.

They are calling on Jeremy Hunt to apply some pressure on the Italian authorities to accept the 47 people on board and allow the crew to leave.

ITV News has contacted the Foreign and Commonwealth Office for a comment.