TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) reported that at least 300 refugees have died on the Mediterranean Sea in the past week alone. Most of the refugees originated from Africa and were heading towards Europe when their ships sank.
A spokesman for the UNHCR, Melissa Fleming, said yesterday that 1,889 people have died in such incidents in 2014, with 1,600 deaths recorded in June 2014 alone, as quoted by the UN News Centre.
Last Friday, a ship carrying 270 passengers sank in Garibouli, east of Tripoli - killing all but 19 people. The Libyan coastguard has only recovered 100 bodies, which includes 7 women and 5 children.
The second incident occurred on the eve of last Saturday. The Italian Navy found a broken dinghy 20 kilometers off the Libyan coast. 73 passengers were successfully evacuated, 18 bodies were recovered, while another 10 passengers are still missing. The refugees hail from Mali, Ivory Coast, Guinea, and Sudan.
The third incident happened Sunday night when an overloaded fisherman's boat carrying 400 passengers sank off LIbya's northern coast. The boat had set sail in bad weather. The Italian Navy and the Libyan Coastguard cooperated with commercial vessel around the region, and managed to rescue 364 passengers. To date, 24 bodies have been recovered.
According to UNHCR reports, the majority of the refugees are Libyan nationals, hoping to escape their war-torn country to seek refuge in Italy. In the past few years, more and more refugees from Africa risk their lives, wishing to set foot on European soil via the Mediterranean Sea. In 2011, 1,500 perished. Another 500 lost their lives in 2012, while more than 600 suffered the same fate in 2013. Around 1,880 people have died attempting to cross the Mediterranean in 2014, in seek of shelter, political asylum, food, water and basic medications.
UN NEWS CENTRE | VIQIANSAH DENNIS
