700 feared drowned as two packed migrant boats sink in the Mediterranean

More than 700 immigrants are feared drowned in two separate incidents in the Mediterranean. A boat carrying more than 250 Africans to Europe to seek asylum sank off the Libyan coast on Monday while up to 500 are feared dead after traffickers rammed and sank a boat off the coast of Malta last week, it has emerged. The Libyan navy said they were able to recover only 26 people after a boat went down 15km from the town of Tajoura.

There are so many dead bodies floating in the sea

Libyan navy spokesman Ayub Qassem

Meanwhile, the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) have reported that two Palestinians plucked from the water by a freighter on Thursday after their boat capsized near Malta were hit by people smugglers. “Nine other survivors were rescued by Greek and Maltese ships but all the rest appear to have perished,” said IOM spokesman Flavio Di Giacomo. According to survivors, the Syrian, Palestinian, Egyptian and Sudanese migrants set out from Damietta in Egypt on September 6 and were forced to change boats several times during the crossing towards Europe. The traffickers then ordered them onto another, smaller vessel, which many migrants feared was too small. When they refused, traffickers reportedly rammed their boat until it capsized.

Two survivors brought to Sicily told us that there had been at least 500 on board

IOM spokesman Flavio Di Giacomo

Africa boat sinks