Up to 500 feared dead in shipwreck last week

Associated Press

GENEVA

As many as 500 people are feared dead after a shipwreck last week in the Mediterranean Sea, two international groups said Wednesday, describing survivors’ accounts of panicked passengers who desperately tried to stay afloat by jumping between vessels.

The disaster happened in waters between Italy and Libya, based on accounts from 41 survivors who were rescued Saturday by a merchant ship, according to the U.N refugee agency and the International Organization for Migration.

The tragedy ranks among the deadliest in recent years on the often-treacherous sea voyage along the central Mediterranean by refugees and migrants from Africa, the Middle East and beyond who have traveled in droves hoping to reach relatively peaceful and wealthy Europe.

While accounts provided by IOM and UNHCR varied slightly, both organizations said up to 200 people left the coastal town of Tobruk last week headed for a larger vessel already carrying hundreds of people in the Mediterranean.

IOM said the 200 people had left on several small boats, while UNHCR said 100 to 200 people left in a single 30-meter boat. The discrepancy in the accounts could not be immediately explained.

UNHCR said the larger boat already was facing “terribly overcrowded conditions” before the newcomers arrived.

No national authorities in the area have reported any bodies washing ashore.