A boat that was far too full sinks off the coast of Tripoli in high waves, killing several people. Elsewhere, helpers rescue dozens from distress at sea.
Several migrants died again during the attempted boat trip across the Mediterranean Sea towards Europe.
A heavily overloaded boat that had started from the port city of Tripoli in Lebanon with 60 people on board sank in high waves, the army said on Sunday, according to the state news agency NNA. After the accident, emergency services pulled at least nine bodies out of the water, including that of a little girl. The army saved around 50 people.
A survivor accused the Navy of ramming the boat and causing it to sink. Naval commander Haitham Dinnaui rejected this and stated that the boat was only designed for ten passengers and therefore sank. The survivor said life in Lebanon had become “unbearable”. The country is currently experiencing its worst economic crisis in decades.
More bodies discovered
Meanwhile, the bodies of at least 17 other migrants have been discovered off the coast of Sfax in Tunisia. According to court spokesman Murad al-Turki, they were on board a total of four boats that sank in the past few days. The coast guard rescued around 100 people off the Tunisian coast. According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the four boats were on their way to Italy.
Al-Turki told the German Press Agency on Sunday that there was hardly enough space in the cemeteries in Sfax because of the many dead migrants. In addition, there is a lack of public funds. The bodies would now be distributed to cemeteries in other municipalities. Sources at the local hospital said around 50 bodies from past boating accidents are still in mortuaries and not buried.
Sea rescuers pull people out of the sea
The private aid organization SOS Mediterranee meanwhile rescued 70 people in distress off the coast of Libya. The migrants were in a dinghy on the Mediterranean Sea that was losing air, the organization said on Twitter on Sunday. Among the rescued are 17 unaccompanied minors. According to the organization, a ship from the Libyan coast guard approached during the deployment of the “Ocean Viking” in international waters, which caused panic.
The Libyan coast guard also repeatedly takes migrants in distress at sea on board in the central Mediterranean and then brings them back to the North African country. Private aid organizations criticize this because the people in the civil war country are threatened with violence. In addition to the “Ocean Viking”, the German “Sea-Eye 4” and the “Geo Barents” from Doctors Without Borders are currently on a mission in the Mediterranean.
The “Geo Barents” reported on Saturday that it had rescued around 100 migrants from distress at sea. From the coasts of North Africa, people are daring to make the dangerous crossing across the Mediterranean towards the EU. Again and again, some of them pay for the journey with their lives.
Source: Stern
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