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At least 25 dead and 400 rescued after migrant boat capsizes off Libya At least 25 dead and 400 rescued after migrant boat capsizes off Libya
(about 2 hours later)
Italy’s coastguard says 400 migrants attempting to cross the Mediterranean have been saved and 25 bodies recovered so far after an overcrowded fishing boat capsized off Libya. About 400 migrants attempting to cross the Mediterranean have been rescued off the coast of Libya, and 25 bodies recovered so far, after a metal boat capsized.
A rescue operation involving seven ships is in progress after a metal boat thought to be carrying up to 600 people ran into difficulty 15 nautical miles off Libya. It is thought up to 600 migrants were on the boat, many believed to have been kept in the hull. The boat is believed to have hit rough weather 15 miles off the Libyan coast, and made a distress call that was received in Sicily.
A distress call was picked up by the coastguard in Catania, Sicily, and two vessels – the Médecins Sans Frontières ship Dignity I and Irish patrol vessel Le Niamh – were immediately dispatched to the scene. An Irish rescue vessel, Le Niamh, and Dignity I, a boat operated by Doctors without Borders, were dispatched to the area. They were later joined by three other ships and a helicopter.
Although details are yet to be confirmed, the capsizing is understood to have happened at about 1pm after migrants rushed to one side of the ship as mobile units from the Irish rescue carrier approached it.
Metal boats are known to be less sturdy than other kinds of vessels, and the boat sank quickly, according to the United Nations refugee agency UNHCR.
MSF earlier said there had been “many deaths”:
The team on the #Dignity1 can confirm that there have tragically been many deaths but does not have figures at this stageThe team on the #Dignity1 can confirm that there have tragically been many deaths but does not have figures at this stage
The MSF rescue vessel stopped to save 94 other migrants who were in a dinghy as it made its way to the bigger boat, a Migrant Report spokesman said. The UN refugee agency UNHCR said there is not likely to be any more information iuntil survivors are interviewed by aid workers and Italian officials on Thursday morning.
BREAKING: The #Dignity1 has just rescued 94 people from a rubber boat including 17 woman and a five-year old boy pic.twitter.com/6HcigSXUpM “We believe the boat was carrying about 600 people, but we will never really know how many sank,” said a UNHCR spokesman.
There are fears that people may have been trapped in the ship’s hull, which would increase the death toll. The boat tipped over after passengers apparently rushed to one side as mobile units sent by Le Niamh approached. The fact that the boat was metal meant that it sank particularly fast, the UNHCR added.
Save the Children, one of the primary organisations that helps migrants, said it expected survivors to arrive in Palermo, Sicily, on Thursday morning.
Non-governmental organisations often join migrant sea rescue operations, which are coordinated by Italy’s coastguard and are now under the umbrella of an EU taskforce known as Triton.
Last October, the EU opted not to replace the Italian-run operation Mare Nostrum, which saved about 100,000 lives last year, amid fears that it was encouraging smugglers and migrants to organise more trips to Europe.
More than 2,000 people have died trying to cross the Mediterranean to Europe this year, according to the International Organisation for Migration.
In April, a boat carrying an estimated 800 migrants overturned, also off Libya’s coast, where smugglers operate. Only 28 survivors, including two alleged smugglers, were found.In April, a boat carrying an estimated 800 migrants overturned, also off Libya’s coast, where smugglers operate. Only 28 survivors, including two alleged smugglers, were found.
Migrants travel overland for weeks or months from sub-Saharan Africa, the Horn of Africa, the Middle East and parts of Asia to reach Libya. There they set sail in flimsy motorised rubber dinghies or rickety old fishing boats. When the boats have problems, someone on board contacts the coastguard by satellite phone. Other boats in distress are spotted by Triton air surveillance. More than 2,000 people have died trying to cross the Mediterranean to Europe this year, according to the International Organisation for Migration.
The aid group said the central Mediterranean route from Africa to southern Italy is far more dangerous than other routes used by migrants.
It noted that while both Italy and Greece have experienced a similar inflow of migrants this year (97,000 in Italy and 90,500 in Greece), almost 2,000 died making their way to Italy while 60 are known to have died trying to get to Greece.
Non-governmental organisations often join migrant sea rescue operations, which are coordinated by Italy’s coastguard and are now under the umbrella of an EU taskforce known as Triton.
Last October, the EU opted not to replace the Italian-run search-and-rescue operation Mare Nostrum, which saved about 100,000 lives last year, amid fears that it was encouraging smugglers and migrants to organise more trips to Europe.
Save the Children, the relief agency, said it was anticipating that survivors of Wednesday’s incident would be landing in Palermo, Sicily, on Thursday morning.
There, the migrants are likely to be assessed and interviewed before heading into a reception centre. Those who wish to seek asylum in Italy will be fingerprinted, but those who are seeking to travel to other destinations in northern Europe are unlikely to be fingerprinted by Italian authorities.
The UNHCR said on Wednesday evening that the rescue mission was ongoing.