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| Europe |
| At least 55 dead in new Mediterranean Sea tragedies |
| 2015-08-27 |
| [ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] At least 55 dead bodies were discovered on Wednesday on three overcrowded migrant boats in the Mediterranean, the Italian coastguard said. Almost all of the victims - 51 - were found in the hold of a wooden boat found drifting precariously off the Libyan coast by Swedish coastguard vessel the Poseidon. Media reports said they had choked to death on gas fumes from the small motor boat. The Italian coastguard, which coordinates rescue efforts in the area, said some 3,000 other migrants had been rescued during ten operations over the course of the day, including more than 500 people picked up by the Poseidon. On August 15, the Italian navy discovered the bodies of 49 migrants asphyxiated in the hold of a people smuggler's boat. Survivors later testified that the victims had been locked below deck and constrained to make them stay there. More than 2,300 migrants have died at sea this year during attempts to reach Europe, almost invariably on overcrowded boats chartered by people smugglers. |
| Posted by:Fred |