Over 200 migrants feared drowned off Libya

Over 200 migrants attempting the perilous journey across the Mediterranean were feared to have drowned yesterday after their overcrowded fishing boat capsized off Libya, reports AFP from Rome.The boat, believed to have been carrying over 600 migrants including women and children, ran into difficulty about 15 nautical miles off Libya and sent out a distress call, which was picked up by the coastguard in Sicily. Two vessels—the Doctors Without Borders (MSF) ship Dignity One and Irish patrol vessel LE Niamh—were immediately dispatched to the scene, but the stricken fishing boat capsized after the migrants moved to one side in the hope of being rescued, the coastguard said.
Coastguard spokesman Filippo Marini said around 400 people had been rescued from the water while 25 bodies had been recovered. “The boat overturned and sank quickly because it was made of metal,” Federico Fossi, spokesman in Italy for the UNHCR, told AFP. The agency’s chief spokeswoman Melissa Fleming said on Twitter that “100 (migrants) were in the hull” of the fishing vessel when it capsized. Seven ships and two helicopters were helping search for survivors.

Over 200 migrants feared drowned off Libya

Over 200 migrants attempting the perilous journey across the Mediterranean were feared to have drowned yesterday after their overcrowded fishing boat capsized off Libya, reports AFP from Rome.The boat, believed to have been carrying over 600 migrants including women and children, ran into difficulty about 15 nautical miles off Libya and sent out a distress call, which was picked up by the coastguard in Sicily. Two vesselsthe Doctors Without Borders (MSF) ship Dignity One and Irish patrol vessel LE Niamhwere immediately dispatched to the scene, but the stricken fishing boat capsized after the migrants moved to one side in the hope of being rescued, the coastguard said. Coastguard spokesman Filippo Marini said around 400 people had been rescued from the water while 25 bodies had been recovered. The boat overturned and sank quickly because it was made of metal, Federico Fossi, spokesman in Italy for the UNHCR, told AFP. The agencys chief spokeswoman Melissa Fleming said on Twitter that 100 (migrants) were in the hull of the fishing vessel when it capsized. Seven ships and two helicopters were helping search for survivors.