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Hundreds feared drowned in 2 shipwrecks off Libya coast

November 4, 2016 at 11:59 am

More than 239 migrants have drowned off the coast of Libya in two shipwrecks, the UN said yesterday.

“A vessel with around 140 people on board overturned Wednesday just a few hours after setting off from Libya, throwing everyone into the water. Only 29 people survived,” UNHCR spokeswoman Carlotta Sami told AFP yesterday.

In the second shipwreck, it is believed only two women survived and around 125 people drowned after their dinghy capsized.

3,750

refugees and migrants have drowned while making the journey to Europe so far this year

“They told us they were on a faulty dinghy which began to sink as soon as they set sail. They were the only survivors,” Sami told AFP.

Faulty dinghies are often sold by traffickers to desperate migrants who are forced to use them in bad weather conditions, which was the case in the shipwrecks according to the survivors.

Those who survived the ordeal were transferred to Lampedusa by Italian coast guards on standby where aid workers and doctors treated them.

According to doctor at least three children were among the dead.

The latest tragedy brings the total number of migrants dying making the treacherous journey to Europe or missing as a result of it to around 4,200 this year.

“Another tragedy on the high seas, with 239 feared dead in the Mediterranean, once again. So many lives could be saved through more resettlement and legal pathways to protection,” the UN’s refugee Chief Filippo Grandi said.

Amnesty International condemned Italian forces yesterday for violent methods used by certain officers against migrants and refugees who refuse to give their fingerprints when arriving in Italy.

More than 150,000 migrants and refugees have been rescued from the Mediterranean Sea with around 3,750 dying whilst making the journey this year.