Hundreds of migrants rescued off Libya, others may still be missing
At least 367 migrants were rescued Wednesday after their boat capsized off the coast of Libya, but 25 bodies have been recovered so far and more may still be missing, the Italian coast guard said.
Cmdr. Filippo Marini with the Italian coast guard said the rescue operation in the Mediterranean north of Libya is continuing and involves seven ships, the Associated Press reported. He said survivors indicated that 400 to 600 people were on the ship.
The shipwreck was about 75 miles northwest of Tripoli, Libya’s capital.
Capt. Donal Gallagher, of the Irish navy, earlier told the AP that 150 migrants were spotted in the water and that rescue efforts by several ships were underway. An Italian military helicopter was lowering life rafts, the news agency reported.
Also helping with the rescue were an Italian vessel and a boat operated by Doctors Without Borders. Such non-government groups often join migrant sea rescue operations, which are coordinated by Italy’s coast guard and are now under the umbrella of a European Union task force known as Triton.
Officials have yet to determine what caused the capsizing.
More than 2,000 migrants seeking a better life in Europe have died trying to cross the Mediterranean so far this year, compared to 1,607 during the same period last year, according to the International Organization for Migration in Italy. But the exact death toll isn’t known.
Many of these migrants are fleeing war, persecution and poverty and travel overland for weeks or months to reach Libya, where they set sail on flimsy boats toward Europe, where they hope to find asylum or jobs.