Libyan Coast Guard: 100 migrants may have drowned off Tripoli

Libyan Coast Guard: 100 migrants may have drowned off Tripoli
29/06/18 https://safety4sea.com/libyan-coast-guard-100-migrants-may-have-drowned-...

About 100 people have reportedly drowned from a migrant boat off Libya’s western coast, Libyan Coast Guard informed. Libya's Coast Guard gathered 14 survivors from the boat east of Tripoli.

As Reuters reports, the coast guard has also intercepted 200 migrants from two additional migrant boats east of Tripoli as well.

Libya is considered one of the main departure points for migrants who want to go to Europe by sea, usually in inflatable boats that often get damaged.

Some manage to go to international waters, hoping to be picked up by international vessels, but lately more and more and being intercepted by Libya and return to the country.

Departures peaked in 2014 when conflict in Libya got worse, leading more than 650,000 migrants to cross the central Mediterranean. Nevertheless, since last July the traffic has been reduced.

Recently, The Dutch-flagged ship 'Lifeline' that about 230 rescued migrants on board for almost a week, finally docked in Malta on Wednesday, June 27. This development ended the dispute between Malt and Italy which refused to let the ship into one of its ports.

In addition, Italy pledged to no longer let charity ships bring rescued migrants in Italy, leaving the Gibraltar-flagged 'Aquarius' stranded at sea for days with more than 600 migrants until Spain eventually accepted them. Italy has seen more than 640,000 migrants land on its shores since 2014 and is currently sheltering 170,000.