TRIPOLI, NOVEMBER 4, 2016(CISA) – At least 240 migrants have drowned while crossing the Mediterranean Sea within the last 48 hours.
The International Organization for Migration’s (IOM) spokesman, Leonard Doyle, said the European Union is closing down all the avenues for people to move to Europe causing people to rush before ‘the gate closes.’
He adds that as a result of increased border patrols people in desperate situations are crossing without caution.
“People are throwing caution to the wind and their attempt to cross the sea is an unsafe condition because the weather is bad.”
Europe is training Libyan coastguards to hand over rescue missions to Libya therefore it will hard for them to cross because any rescued migrants will be taken ashore in Libya rather than in Europe.
Only 31 of 300 migrants survived and are believed to be from Tunisia, Nigeria and Egypt.
They were travelling in two separate ships which were wrecked by strong waves and storm. The boats capsized in rough waters, leaving them stranded in the Mediterranean Sea.
