240 migrants and refugees drown off Libyan coast

Two rubber boats carrying more than 300 immigrants were sunk by waves in bad weather, killing at least 240 people.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) said yesterday (November 3) that at least 240 migrants believed to be from West Africa died in two boat sinkings off the coast of Libya.

International Organization for Migration spokesman Leonard Doyle said two rubber boats carrying more than 300 people were sunk by waves in bad weather, killing at least 240 people.

Since the beginning of the year, 4,220 migrants have died in the Mediterranean Sea. (Photo: Anadolu)

When the incident happened, many rescue ships were within sight and made efforts to urgently come to the rescue, but most of the immigrants on the boat died, including infants.

According to the International Organization for Migration, a group of migrants including 20 women and six children departed from Libya at around 3 a.m. (local time) on November 1 on a rubber boat, but their boat broke down just a few hours later.

When the rescue team arrived, most of the passengers on the boat had already sunk. They rescued 27 people and recovered 12 bodies, including 3 children. At the same time, another boat carrying about 130 immigrants also had an accident and only 2 women survived.

Traffickers often use old and fragile boats such as rubber boats to transport migrants from Libya to Europe, mainly Italy. According to the International Organization for Migration, last October saw a sharp increase in the number of migrants arriving in Italy, reaching 27,388, more than in the same month in the previous two years combined and bringing the total number of migrants arriving in Italy this year to more than 158,000.

The latest migrant boat sinkings could bring the total death toll in the Mediterranean so far this year to 4,220 victims, far exceeding the 3,777 victims in the whole of 2015./.

According to VOV