Up to 200 Feared Dead After Another Migrant Boat Sinks Off Libyan Coast
Up to 200 Feared Dead After Another Migrant Boat Sinks Off Libyan Coast
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A view of the bodies of dead migrants that were recovered by the Libyan coast guard after a boat sank off the coastal Libyan town of Zuwara, west of Tripoli, on Aug. 27, 2015Hani Amara—Reuters
A boat filled with migrants mainly from Africa sunk off the coast of Libya while en route to Italy on Thursday. Officials on the ground were unable to confirm the exact number of casualties, but estimate that up to 200 people may have died, according to Reuters.
The crammed vessel had over 400 passengers and set off from the western Libyan town of Zuwara, a major hub for smugglers looking to take migrants to the Italian coast, Reuters reports.
The boat quickly capsized, leaving many of the passengers trapped inside. According to a Libyan official who spoke to Reuters anonymously, the Libyan coast guard managed to save up to 201 people from the sea, with around 147 of them ending up at a nearby center for illegal migrants in the town of Sabratha.
While many of these migrants understand the risks of taking these overcrowded boats, they are desperate to flee conflict, persecution and extreme poverty in their home countries. In this case, the boat’s passengers included migrants looking to escape sub-Saharan Africa, Pakistan, Syria, Morocco and Bangladesh, an official told Reuters.
On Wednesday, Swedish rescue crews discovered a wooden boat off the coast of Libya with 51 dead migrants left behind in the hull, the Associated Press reports. They were able to rescue 439 of the other passengers.
More than 2,300 people have died so far this year while making the extremely perilous crossing from Northern Africa to Europe, according to the International Organization for Migration.
Italian navy rescues asylum seekers traveling by boat off the coast of Africa on the Mediterranean, June 7, 2014. Massimo Sestini—PolarisA soldier using binoculars to spot boats carrying asylum seekers, June 2, 2014. Massimo Sestini—PolarisRefugees rescued off a boat and carried onto an Italian navy ship, June 7, 2014. Massimo Sestini—PolarisItalian navy rescues asylum seekers traveling by boat off the coast of Africa, June 7, 2014. Massimo Sestini—PolarisItalian soldier carries a Syrian child on a ship after the Italian navy rescued 443 Syrian asylum seekers off a fishing vessel, June 5, 2014. Massimo Sestini—PolarisAfrican asylum seekers rescued off boats and taken aboard an Italy navy ship, June 8, 2014. Massimo Sestini—PolarisAn empty dinghy with leftover lifesavers after the Italian navy rescued asylum seekers off the coast of Africa, June 7, 2014. Massimo Sestini—PolarisSyrian refugees sleeping on an Italian navy ship after being rescued from a fishing vessel carrying 443 Syrian asylum seekers, June 5, 2014. Massimo Sestini—PolarisSyrian refugees on an Italian navy ship after being rescued from a fishing vessel carrying 443 Syrian asylum seekers, June 5, 2014. Massimo Sestini—PolarisSyrian refugees sleeping on an Italian navy ship after being rescued from a fishing vessel carrying 443 Syrian asylum seekers, June 5, 2014. Massimo Sestini—PolarisAfrican asylum seekers rescued off boats and taken aboard an Italy navy ship, June 8, 2014. Massimo Sestini—PolarisAfrican refugees rescued by the Italian navy at night off a rubber dinghy, June 8, 2014. Massimo Sestini—PolarisAfrican asylum seekers rescued off boats and taken aboard an Italian navy ship, June 8, 2014. Massimo Sestini—PolarisAfrican asylum seekers on board a rescue craft dispatched from an Italian navy ship, June 7.Massimo Sestini—PolarisAfrica refugees on an Italian navy ship after being rescued at sea, June 8, 2014. Massimo Sestini—PolarisA mother and child on a Italian navy ship after being rescued from a fishing vessel carrying 443 Syrian asylum seekers, June 5, 2014. Massimo Sestini—PolarisAbandoned boats graveyard in Lampedusa, May 29, 2014. Massimo Sestini—Polaris
