More than 50 migrants die in Mediterranean crossings; 68 rescued
More than 50 migrants drowned in the Mediterranean, the majority off the coasts of Tunisia and Turkey while heading illegally to Europe. Tunisian authorities said 48 bodies were recovered near the city of Sfax in Tunisia, while 68 people were rescued. While water leaked into the boat, some passengers jumped into the sea and drowned, said a Tunisian survivor. Here's more.
Boat overloaded
"The boat had a maximum capacity of 75 to 90 people, but there were more than 180 of us," said Wael Ferjani, a Tunisian survivor from the southern region of Gabes.
9 Syrians, including 7 children drowned
Nine Syrians including seven children drowned when their vessel sank off the coast of Turkey when their speedboat heading illegally to Europe hit trouble off the coast of the southern Antalya province. The oldest child to drown was 14 and the youngest, just three. Six adults were rescued, which included a couple who lost five of their children in the disaster.
Shipwrecks and collisions not something new for Mediterranean crossings
The hunt for survivors would continue from today morning, said a Sfax naval base official. Migrants regularly try to cross the Mediterranean to seek a better future in Europe. In October, a collision between a migrant boat and a Tunisian military ship left at least 44 dead. 90 people have lost their lives on the coast of Libya since February 2 this year.
Over 4,400 migrants dead or missing so far
Turkey was the main sea route for migrants to Europe in 2015 when more than a million people crossed to Greece. That year, 3,771 people were recorded as dead or missing in the Mediterranean by the United Nations refugee agency. So far this year, 32,601 migrants and refugees have survived the sea crossing and 649 have been recorded as dead or missing.
Italy's Salvini forcing anti-migration agenda to cut arrivals, increase deportations
Yesterday, Italy's Interior Minister, Matteo Salvini, headed to Sicily to push his anti-immigration agenda, vowing to cut the number of arrivals and speed up deportations. His predecessor signed a controversial deal with authorities in Libya, which has driven down overall arrival numbers by 75% since last summer. "The good times for illegals is over, get ready to pack your bags," he said on Saturday.
Italy, the main rescue point for migrants
The focal point for Mediterranean migration in recent years has been Italy, where more than 700,000 migrants have arrived since 2013.
