Migrant boat sinks in Mediterranean

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A Spanish nongovernmental organization’s boat rescues refugees from the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Libya last year. Associated Press/Photo by Olmo Calvo (file)

Between 60 and 70 migrants trying to reach Europe from Libya drowned on Friday when their boat capsized in the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Tunisia. At least 16 others were rescued, according to UN migration officials and a Tunisian state news agency. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) said it was the deadliest migrant boat sinking since January.

The smuggling boat left Libya on Thursday and sent a distress signal in international waters early Friday near the coastal town of Sfax, Tunisia, according to an IOM official in Tunisia and a Tunisian Defense Ministry statement. Tunisian authorities are questioning and caring for the survivors, an IOM official said.

Some 17,000 migrants and refugees have come to Europe by sea so far this year—30 percent fewer than during the same period last year, according to IOM. About 440 people have died making the crossing since January.

Rachel Lynn Aldrich

Rachel is a former assistant editor for WORLD Digital. She is a Patrick Henry College and World Journalism Institute graduate. Rachel resides with her husband in Wheaton, Ill.