At least 25 people were killed off the coast of Libya in the sinking of a boat carrying some 150 migrants, non-governmental relief organizations said on Saturday, as cited by AFP news agency.
“A rubber boat sank north of Tripoli, killing at least 25 people and the exact number is not yet clear,” the German Seawatch reported on Twitter.
The Italian Coast Guard told AFP that 85 people had been rescued and eight bodies had been recovered so far. “The search is continuing at the moment, we are trying to find survivors,” the Italian coast guard said.
Spanish non-governmental organization Proactiva Oppen-Arsem said that “there were dozens of missing people who would die without burial.”
A European Union anti-piracy watchdog, Sofia, has identified the site of the partially submerged boat in international waters off Libya.
Last year, 3,116 people were killed while attempting to cross the Mediterranean, according to MSF.
Italy’s efforts to deter migrants from adventure have led to a drop in arrivals in the second half of 2017.
The number of illegal immigrants who took this risky trip was 119,000, a third less than the previous year.
During the first six days of 2018, 400 people were rescued and transferred to Italy, against 729 during the same period in 2017, according to the Italian Interior Ministry.
