Hundreds rescued at sea as migrants try to reach Europe

More than 700 migrants were rescued at sea by MOAS (Migrant Offshore Aid Station alone) in the last two days whilst crossing the Mediterranean sea from Libya in an attempt to reach Italy, the NGO said on Friday (November 4).

The rescuers pulled to safety 128 people travelling on a rubber dinghy off the Libyan coast near the city of Sabrata on Friday morning (November 4). On Thursday (November 3), 605 people had been rescued including an 81 years-old women and two children less than one year old.

At least 240 migrants are thought to have drowned off the coast of Libya in accidents unrelated to MOAS’ rescues this week according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

Five rescue ships, coordinated by the Italian coastguard, were within sight of the migrants but, despite attempts to rescue them, most died, IOM’s chief spokesman, Leonard Doyle, said.

Two rubber dinghies, packed with migrants, apparently totalling over 300, seem to ”have succumbed to the waves off Libya in very bad weather,” Doyle said.

The UN’s migration agency said on Thursday (November 3) that the deaths may have occurred as an unintended consequence of European efforts to stop people-smugglers and to train Libyan coastguards.

European training of Libyan coastguards means that rescue missions will soon be handed over to Libya and all those rescued will be taken back to Libya rather than to Italy. This may have caused the recent rush of migrants, according to IOM’s Italy spokesman, Flavio di Giacomo.

The use of dinghies, unsuitable for the long sea crossing in bad weather, was partly due to European navies capturing and destroying many of the fishing boats used by people smugglers, Doyle said.

Survivors from one dinghy, whose passengers included about 20 women and six children, all believed to be from West Africa, said they set off from Libya at about 3 a.m. (0500 GMT) on Wednesday, but the boat sank after a few hours.

Twelve bodies were recovered, including three babies, and about 27 survived, di Giacomo said.

The IOM said the latest deaths meant 4,220 migrants had died in the Mediterranean so far this year, compared with 3,777 in the whole of 2015.