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The bodies of more than 70 people have been found on al-Khums beach in western Libya after another devastating shipwreck in the Mediterranean, the UN migration agency (IOM) reported on Thursday.
The ship was reported to be carrying more than 120 people, including women and children. Coastguards and fishermen have brought 47 survivors to shore, while the bodies of at least 74 people float close to shore.
It is the latest in a series of tragedies involving at least three shipwrecks in the space of two days that have claimed the lives of more than 90 people, including a six-month-old boy who died aboard a rescue boat on Wednesday.
The child who survived a shipwreck died aboard a rescue boat in the central Mediterranean.
Named Joseph and originally from Guinea, he was saved by rescuers from the Spanish non-governmental organization Open Arms late Wednesday morning after the boat in which he was traveling with more than 100 migrants capsized off the Libyan coast. At least five other asylum seekers died as a result of that incident.
“Despite the enormous commitment of our medical team, a six-month-old baby has just died. We requested an urgent evacuation for him and other people in serious condition, but he did not succeed. How much pain and how much pain! ” Open Arms wrote on Twitter.
The boat had allegedly left Sabratha, Libya, but began to deflate after a few hours. After a patrol plane from the European agency Frontex raised the alarm, the Open Arms ship quickly intervened.
“When our rescuers arrived, they found themselves in front of a dramatic scene,” said Riccardo Gatti, president of Open Arms Italia. “The ship had practically imploded and hundreds of people were found in the water, in the open sea, some were children.”
Judging that Joseph’s condition was serious, rescuers asked the Maltese and Italian authorities to evacuate him for medical treatment. However, when the Italian coast guard arrived, José had already died.
“We did everything possible to rescue those on board,” said the medical team of the NGO Italian Emergency, which operates aboard the Open Arms. “All this happened a few kilometers from an indifferent Europe. Instead of preparing a structured search and rescue system, they continue to bury their heads in the sand, pretending not to see the cemetery that the Mediterranean Sea has become. “
On Tuesday, another boy, whose age is unknown, was among 13 people killed in another shipwreck off the Libyan coast. Eleven survivors were returned to Libya.
“Change is necessary now, more than ever, to guarantee an effective rescue at sea and prevent further tragedies.” said Flavio Di Giacomo, IOM spokesperson.
In 2020 alone, “more than 10,300 migrants have been intercepted at sea and returned to dangerous Libya, ”Di Giacomo said.
According to IOM figures, since the beginning of October, at least 30 migrants have died at sea while trying to reach Italy.
Since the beginning of 2020, some 575 people have died in the central Mediterranean, but the actual number is estimated to be considerably higher, according to the IOM.
Open Arms is currently the only NGO rescue ship operating in the central Mediterranean. Many other rescue boats are blocked in Italian ports because the authorities refuse to authorize their departure.
“Are you looking at the European Union?” wrote Doctors Without Borders (MSF), on Twitter. “Increase Search and Rescue Capabilities, or Save Lives.”
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