Dozens of Libyan migrants drown in Mediterranean Sea en route to Europe
Dozens of desperate refugees fleeing beleaguered Libya are dead after drowning in the Mediterranean Sea.
At least 41 victims died last weekend after their boat capsized in the expanse body of water separating the northern African coast from southern Europe, confirmed the United Nations on Wednesday, according to The Associated Press.
The UN migration and refugee agencies said in a joint statement that the dozens of dead were among at least 120 migrants on a dinghy that departed Libya on Feb. 18 — two days before the shipwreck.
A nearby commercial vessel rescued the survivors and transported them to the Sicilian port town of Porto Empedocle, the agencies stated.
Just 15 hours into the risky trek, the dinghy began taking on water, according to survivors. Later, six people tumbled into the Mediterranean and two others drowned while attempting to reach a boat in the distance, noted The AP.
A little while after that, the Vos Triton began rescuing survivors in what the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees referred to as a “difficult and delicate operation.”
But dozens of others could not be saved during the rescue mission.
Neanderthals died out 42,000 years ago when magnetic poles flipped, scientists claim
Among the missing were four women and three children, claimed the UNHCR. One of those women left behind a newborn who made it to the Mediterranean island of Lampedusa.
So far in 2021, approximately 160 European-bound migrants have lost their lives, according to UN agencies.
Over the past decade since the 2011 uprising that led to the death of longtime despot Moammar Gadhafi, Libya has served as the main exodus point for those fleeing Africa and the Middle East, noted The AP.
