At least 16 dead and 340 missing in the Med

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At least 16 dead and 340 missing in the Med

Catherine Hardy

 

 

LAMPEDUSA: -- At least six migrants have died and up to 100 more are missing and feared dead after their rubber boat sank in the Mediterrranean on Thursday.

 

The president of the Italian unit of Doctors Without Borders says a British navy ship rescued 27 people and recovered six bodies around 35 kilometres from the Libyan coast.

 

The latest tragedy adds to the death toll which aid workers have put at at least 240 for the three days ending on Wednesday.

 

The missing

 

The migrants were transferred to the MSF ship, the Bourbon Argus.

 

Survivors have told staff another 90 to 100 people had been on board and are missing.

 

“It is plausible because these boats are all the same, very long rubber boats that usually carry 120-130 people, completely packed” said MSF Italy President Loris de Filippi.

 

“The conditions are terrible and people keep putting out to sea anyway, which says a lot about how desperate they are,” de Filippi added.

 

Hundreds more migrants have disembarked in the Sicilian port of Catania.

They huddled on the deck of their rescue vessel, wrapped in thick blankets and soaked by heavy rain.

 

Tuesday

 

Rescuers recovered one body and saved 298 people in the Mediterranean on Tuesday.

 

Monday

 

A rubber boat carrying an unknown number of people flipped over in heavy seas, according to Italy’s coastguard.

 

The survivors were rescued from a total of three rubber vessels, according to the Italian coastguard.

 

An oil tanker pulled 15 people from the water around 55 kilometres off the Libyan coast.

 

Officials will not estimate the number of missing.

 

Rescuers say five dead bodies were recovered from one of the rubber dinghies.

 

The crew say they saw another person drown but were unable to recover the body.

 

What was the weather like?

 

Challenging, according to a spokeswoman from SOS Mediterranean.

 

The death toll

 

It has surged this year to 4,271 as of November the 14th.

 

This is compared to 3,777 for the whole of 2015, according to the International Organisation for Migration.

 

Arrivals in Italy this year now stand at around 167,000.

 

Last year’s total was 154,000.

 

 

-- © Copyright Euronews 2016-11-18

[lungnorm]

If they do not stop this madness it will be the end of civilised Europe as they will eventually overwhelm the social services and the countries will collapse into a worse place then they left. It cannot continue but so far no politician has had the guts to say so.

[Lokie]

Can they not ban the production and sale of rubber boats, or any other craft used by these people smugglers, outlaw them. The waves of these people has to stop, world governments should sort all this mess out and stop messing about talking crap and doing sweet FA. People should be sent straight back where they come from, if that was done eventually the circle would be broken. Now as for a cure to the ills of the world thats another matter, if europe was not such an easy money maker for them then they would not be coming. Funny how the ME oil rich countries don't seem to be bending over backwards with help and shelter for these peoples.

[Stargeezr]

It  is  terrible  that  there  are  so  many  people  who put  their  lives  and their  families  lives  in such danger.    I  have to ask,  Where  are  these  people getting  the money  from to pay  the people smugglers.  Family  members already in Europe.  Or  rich  relatives  in North America?  I feel  fortunate to live  in my country  where  people can travel to other countries, or  stay  at home in  Canada  and  kill  them  selves  with  their  drug  problems.   What  a  world  we  live  in.

Geezer