20 refugees die in boat accident off Libya coast: Report
At least 20 refugees are believed to have drowned at sea during their abortive journey from Libya to Italy.
According to reports on Monday, the Italian coastguard managed to save around 170 asylum seekers who had been adrift on a dinghy some 30 nautical miles from the Libyan coast.
The rescued refugees informed the Italian police that at least 20 other asylum seekers had fallen into the sea and died in the course of the doomed trip.
Italian officials said the rescued refugees were safely transferred to the small island of Lampedusa, adding that the country’s troops are still continuing the rescue operation in an attempt to find more asylum seekers at the sea.
“Be the voice of the voiceless”
On Sunday, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon urged the European leaders to take collective action to tackle the worsening refugee crisis, saying Europe should try to “be the voice of those in need of protection and … quickly find a joint approach to share responsibilities equitably."
The UN chief also warned of the spread of “xenophobia, discrimination, and violence against migrants and refugees in Europe,” hoping that “any manifestation of these phenomena would be addressed firmly and without delay.”
The United Nations estimates 300,000 people have left the Middle East and North Africa for Europe this year, but 2,500 have died in the attempt, the majority during dangerous voyages across the Mediterranean in rickety boats.
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