Ship With 600 Migrants Sinks Near Libya; No Survivors Reported

Source: Bloomberg

By Bill Varner - May 9, 2011 11:58 AM ET

A ship carrying as many as 600 migrants to Italy sank shortly after leaving the Libyan capital Tripoli on May 6, killing at least 16 and leaving the rest unaccounted for, the United Nations said today.

Somalia’s ambassador to Libya reported to the Geneva-based UN refugee agency that the ship “broke up” close to the port and that 16 bodies had washed ashore, including two babies. Agency spokesman Sybella Wilkes said that while it is possible that some migrants managed to swim to safety, there are no reports of survivors.

Boats carrying 2,400 migrants fleeing the violence in Libya arrived safely over the weekend at the Italian island of Lampedusa, Wilkes said. At least three other ships that left Libya since the conflict began in February never reached their destination, and hundreds of people are feared dead, she said.

To contact the reporter on this story: Bill Varner at the United Nations at wvarner@bloomberg.net

Read more: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-05-09/ship-with-600-migrants-sinks-near-libya-no-survivors-reported.html

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There seems to be no end to the misery.

The situation in Libya has become increasingly miserable for those civilians trapped... and then to die at sea? Ohhh, what sadness....

where is civilization? :cry:

From the article:



I don't know what is the registry of the vessels involved, but I wouldn't be surprised to hear that the ships in use were close to being scrapped.

they are Libyan ships. More likely another party making a fast buck. It could also be that the boats are grossly overcrowded.

"torn to pieces" suggests something a bit stormy...

The Libyan government is actively encouraging foreign migrants to leave Libya.

http://www.undispatch.com/boat-with-600-migrants-sinks-off-libyan-coast

There are reports coming in from various UN sources that a boat carrying up to 600 people fleeing the violence in Libya was torn to pieces off the Libyan coast on Friday. The UN Refugee Agency and the International Organization for Migration are both relaying accounts from refugees on a separate boat who witnessed the disaster.

After watching the ship go down other refugees did not want to board a second ship, but Libyan authorities forced them on the boat. I just received this note from the International Organization for Migration.

Migrants also told IOM that after seeing what had happened to the first boat, many of them who had been waiting on land changed their mind about making the sea journey to Italy. However, they claim that Libyan soldiers and officials forced them onto a waiting boat by firing their guns indirectly.

Although this is the first time that IOM has been told of migrants being forced by Libyan officials to get on a boat, many have told IOM that they did not have to pay for their passage to Lampedusa while others say they have paid a nominal fee. However, they say that they been stripped by officials and soldiers of their savings and possessions, including mobile phones.

- Well, so much for the Libyan "humanitarian intervention" thesis.....

That was from 2010, but he threatened to "open the floodgates" of immigration if the west intervened.