Mediterranean death toll breaks record

This year has become the deadliest on record for migrants trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea, according to the United Nations. Early today, rescue crews discovered 25 bodies in a partially flooded inflatable dinghy off Libya’s coast, bringing the total number of deaths in 2016 to at least 3,800. Only about 330,000 migrants have tried to cross the Mediterranean this year, compared to about 1 million last year. But due to increased sea patrols, smugglers are taking a more dangerous route, and they’re using much less study vessels for the crossing, according to UN officials. Migrant advocacy groups say the already high death toll could rise significantly before the end of the year because winter weather makes the crossing even more perilous.