Two more unfortunate incidents for migrant boats in the Mediterranean
Not long after the New Year, there are two more tragic incidents involving refugee boats in the Mediterranean Sea, with a possible 170 victims. Europe has yet to come up with a solution to this problem.
Up to 170 migrants may have died in two boat accidents in the Mediterranean Sea, including one off the coast of Libya on Friday (January 25), which left 117 people missing, and another that involved 53 people drowning en route to Spain, the UN refugee agency said on Saturday (January 26).
In addition, according to NGOs, a boat carrying 100 people ran into an emergency in Libyan waters on Sunday (January 27). A German aid boat has once again come to the aid of refugees in the Mediterranean, and it is not clear where it will take them.
117 people missing
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) said an inflatable boat capsized off the coast of Libya on Friday. Three survivors said the boat was carrying 120 migrants. Among the missing were 10 women and two children, one of whom was two months old. The Italian navy has transferred the three survivors to the island of Lampedusa.
Di Giacomo, a spokesman for the International Organization for Migration, told news agencies that after 10 hours, the boat gradually lost air and sank, with the passengers falling into the water. Most of the passengers on the boat were West Africans and about 40 were Sudanese.
This is while it is said that a Libyan Coast Guard boat rushed to help the boat, but encountered technical problems along the way and was unable to move.
Since a populist government came to power in Italy and closed its ports to boats carrying asylum seekers, fewer migrants have been arriving in the country, mostly from Libya, heading across the Mediterranean to Europe.
Italy and the European Union are supporting the Libyan coastguard to return migrants to the war-torn country, but people smugglers have changed their routes and are now increasingly targeting Spanish shores.
State of emergency in the Alboran Sea
Another recent incident has also been linked to the same route in Spain. According to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, 53 people have drowned in the Alboran Sea between Morocco and Spain. The incident was reported to Moroccan authorities by a Moroccan survivor who was rescued by a fishing boat after 24 hours at sea.
Pope Francis, the leader of the world's Catholics, prayed for the souls of the victims of the incident on Sunday, saying: "They were looking for a better future and perhaps fell victim to human traffickers. Let us pray for them and for those responsible for this incident."
Italian Interior Minister Matteo Salvini blames aid agencies for these incidents. "As long as EU ports are open to migrants and private aid agencies take them off the water, human traffickers will continue to trade in death," he said.
Of course, it is rare for NGOs to provide relief work in the Mediterranean at the moment. Last summer, a number of NGO rescue boats carrying migrants were stranded at sea for days, unable to move.
Source: DW
