4 Dead, Hundreds Rescued From Capsized Migrant Boat in the Mediterranean Sea
The bodies of more than 100 migrants have been pulled from the waters after a boat capsized off Libya’s shores, a Libyan navy spokesman told The Associated Press today.
At least 104 bodies were retrieved near the western port city of Zuwarah after the Libyan Coast Guard discovered the empty vessel Thursday that may have capsized a day earlier, Col. Ayoub Gassim told the AP.
The death toll is expected to rise in the coming hours, as these boats are typically packed with up to 125 people.
It’s the latest tragedy in the migrant and refugee crisis that has claimed more than 1,000 lives in recent weeks, as people fleeing war and poverty in their home countries flood to Europe’s shores.
Separately, the International Organization for Migration said four bodies were recovered and 342 people were rescued today from a sinking boat carrying hundreds in the Mediterranean Sea. The vessel resembled a large fishing boat that had been carrying a "significant number" of people when it was located roughly 75 miles south of Crete island, the Greek Coast Guard told ABC News.
Five commercial ships, two Coast Guard vessels and a Greek Air Force plane were helping in the rescue effort off Crete. The operation was continuing to locate any potentially missing passengers from the migrant boat, officials said.
ABC News' Dada Jovanovic contributed to this report.
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