Migrant death toll rises on route from Libya to Europe
Many migrants leaving Africa to escape instability have
drowned near Tajoura, east of Tripoli. The migrants were attempting to cross
the Mediterranean to reach safety in Europe.
Navy spokesman Ayub Qassem said 26 people had been rescued
after the vessel, carrying 250 went down. Qassem said most of the migrants were
Africans and many were women. The use of poorly crafted wooden boats overloaded
with desperate migrants have resulted in hundreds of deaths. This most recent tragedy
comes just weeks after a vessel carrying migrants sank on the route from Libya
to Italy, killing 100 people. Two more migrant vessels have been reported to have
sunk in the past few weeks.
Human traffickers are using the unstable atmosphere in
Africa to exploit those who seek asylum in Europe. The underequipped Libyan
coastguard is struggling to deal with the problem and have few resources to
search for survivors. They are currently using fishing boats and tugs borrowed
from the oil ministry.
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