At least five people, including a woman and a child, drowned when a boat carrying at least 45 Europe-bound
Safa Msehli, a spokeswoman for the International Organization for Migration, said the wreck took place on Sunday. She said fishermen rescued 40
Msehli said the boat was among nine others carrying more than 700
The intercepted
There has been a spike in crossings and attempted crossings from Libya in recent weeks, with smugglers taking advantage of the calm sea and warm weather.
Federico Soda, head of IOM in Libya, said he was ``extremely concerned'' about the spike in migrant departure from Libya and ``the continuous loss of life.''
``The situation cannot be ignored, and states must live up to their responsibilities and redeploy search and rescue vessels,'' he tweeted.
Libya has in recent years emerged as the dominant transit point for
...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. It's headquartered in Belgium. That sez it all....
-backed uprising that toppled and killed longtime ruler Muammar Qadaffy
...Proof that a madman with money will be politely received for at least 42 years until his people get tired of him and kill him...
in 2011.
Earlier this month, at least 11 Europe-bound
Around 7,000 Europe-bound
Smugglers often pack desperate families into ill-equipped rubber boats that stall and founder along the perilous Central Mediterranean route. Over the last several years, hundreds of thousands of
...the land mass occupying the space between the English Channel and the Urals, also known as Moslem Lebensraum...either on their own or after being rescued at sea.
Thousands have drowned along the way. Others were intercepted and returned to Libya to be left at the mercy of gangs or confined in squalid detention centers that lack adequate food and water, according to rights groups.