Post by Whisker on May 31, 2016 18:32:02 GMT
700 drown in attempt to reach Europe
Survivor accounts have pushed to more than 700 the number of migrants feared dead in Mediterranean Sea shipwrecks over three days during the past week, even as European ships saved thousands of others in daring rescue operations.
The shipwrecks appear to account for the largest loss of life reported in the Mediterranean since April 2015, when a single ship sank with an estimated 800 people trapped inside.
Humanitarian organisations say many migrant boats sink without a trace, with the dead never found, and their fates are only recounted by family members who report their failure to arrive in Europe.
“The situation is really worsening in the last week, if the news is confirmed,” said Giovanna Di Benedetto, a Save the Children spokeswoman in Italy.
The shipwrecks appear to account for the largest loss of life reported in the Mediterranean since April 2015, when a single ship sank with an estimated 800 people trapped inside.
Humanitarian organisations say many migrant boats sink without a trace, with the dead never found, and their fates are only recounted by family members who report their failure to arrive in Europe.
“The situation is really worsening in the last week, if the news is confirmed,” said Giovanna Di Benedetto, a Save the Children spokeswoman in Italy.
Where and when will it all end?
