At least Nine Dead after Migrant Boat Sinks Off Libya
The Italian coastguard said Monday it recovered nine bodies after a boat carrying more than 150 migrants sank off Libya during a surge of attempted illegal immigration to Europe that saw almost 6,000 other migrants rescued.
Rescuers managed to save 144 of the migrants from the capsized vessel and were still searching for others some 80 miles (150 kilometers) off the Libyan coast.
The total number of passengers on the boat and their nationalities was not yet known.
On Sunday alone the Italian coastguard rescued a total of 3,791 migrants, bringing the total to 5,629 since Friday, authorities said.
Recent good weather in the Mediterranean has prompted an increased number of migrants to set off for Italy aboard boats. A number of rescue operations were underway on Monday.
The number of migrants entering the European Union illegally in 2014 almost tripled to 276,000, according to EU border control agency Frontex, nearly 220,000 of them arriving via the often dangerous Mediterranean crossing.
The chaotic situation in Libya has sparked a rise in migrant boats setting out for Europe from its unpoliced ports carrying refugees fleeing conflict and poverty in the Middle East and Africa.
Source: Agence France Presse
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