Tuesday, May 31, 2016

Mediterranean Loses Most Migrants in One Week; At Least 800 Migrants Believed to Have Drowned

The Mediterranean Sea has seen its most deadly week of 2016 with more than 800 migrants believed to have drowned in shipwrecks off the Libyan coast, the Euro News website reports today (May 31, 2016).

The UN's refugee agency announced the new death toll after interviewing survivors in Italy. As the bodies disappeared in the open sea, it is impossible to verify the figures.

The majority of those lives lost last week are along the more dangerous North Africa to Italy route. The UNHCR (United Nations High Commission for Refugees) is working to understand the development of the routes, with many originating in the Sabratah area to the west of Tripoli.

"Reports of trauma from sexual and other forms of gender-based violence among women making the journey -- or being trafficked -- appear common. Some women said they were subject to sexual slavery in Libya," William Spindler, spokesman for the UNHCR refugee agency explained.


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