Skip to main content

200 migrants from Nigeria, others drown in Mediterranean

It was a tragic start to New Year for migrants from Nigeria and other countries as hundreds of them crossing to Italy and Spain were feared dead in the Mediterranean Sea, the International Organisation for Migration, IOM, has said.
IOM’s Public Information Officer in Libya, Christine Petré, reported that the boats carrying the migrants departed from the coastal towns of Azzawiyah and Al Khums in Libya.
“Most of the survivors hail from African countries, including Senegal, Mali and Nigeria. The Libyan Cost Guard reported that eight were from Bangladesh while two were from Pakistan,” Petré said.
According to IOM, and a report released by Libya’s Coast Guard, about 100 people on board remain missing.
The UN migration agency said its officials were present at the disembarkation point in Tripoli and provided the survivors with food and water.
Othman Belbeisi, Chief of IOM Libya Mission, said on Wednesday that about 200 migrants or refugees had died or gone missing in the Mediterranean Sea with up to 100 unaccounted for since Saturday.
“It’s very distressing that during the first 10 days of 2018 we have seen close to 800 migrants rescued or intercepted off the Libyan coast, with more lives lost at sea.
“More has to be done to reduce irregular unsafe movements of people along the Central Mediterranean route,” Belbeisi said.
According to him, the tragedy came at a time when Mediterranean migrants’ death dropped sharply as IOM recorded only 26 on the Mediterranean Sea lanes in December 2017.
Mr. Belbeisi said while January 2017 had witnessed some 254 deaths, this week’s reports suggest that the start of 2018 may be even deadlier.
IOM reported on Tuesday that 81 Mediterranean Sea deaths of migrants or refugees were recorded in the first eight days of the year with five in Western Mediterranean waters off Spain and Morocco and the rest between Italy and Libya.
In the latest, and third deadliest, shipwreck in the Mediterranean since Saturday, the Libyan Coast Guard rescued three rubber boats with 279 migrants made up of 19 women, 243 men, 13 boys and four girls, in an operation lasting at least 12 hours.
The UN migration agency said it continued to provide support and direct humanitarian assistance to the survivors of this latest tragedy, many of whom now are at Libya’s Tajoura detention centre. (NAN)

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Kano Hisbah Board destroys 30 trailer loads of beer worth N150 m

                                   The Kano State Hisbah Board has seized and destroyed 30 trailer loads of beer worth N150 million. In a statement released on Tuesday December 25th, the board’s Public Relations Officer, Adamu Yahaya, said that the cartons of beer were destroyed on Monday evening December 24th after interception at Kalebawa on Danbata Road in Dawakin Tofa area. “The Kano State Law No. 4 of 2004 has banned the manufacture and use of intoxicants in the state. Furthermore, an order was given by a magistrates’ court for us  to go ahead with the exercise,” the public relations officer said. The worth of a trailer load of beer is between N5.2 million and N5.5 million. The sale of beer and its consumption has been banned in Kano state.
Post a Comment
Read more

BANDIT GUNRUNNER ARRESTED

  Police in Zaria city arrested Bilyaminu Saidu 33years, a gun runner, bandit & logistics supplier. He was arrested with 4 AK-47 rifles, 344 rounds of live ammunition & one motorcycle. Bilyaminu is an indigene of Shuwaki village in Bakori LGA of Katsina state.
Post a Comment
Read more

Airline pilot was "sucked halfway out" when cockpit windshield broke

                              An airline pilot had a close brush with death when he was "sucked halfway out" of the plane after a cockpit windshield blew out. A Sichuan Airlines flight was forced to make an emergency landing on Monday and it was later reported that the reason for the emergency landing was because the cockpit windshield blew out and almost tossed the pilot out of the plane. But for his seat belt, he would have been sucked out completely. Captain Liu Chuanjian has been hailed as a hero on social media after having to land the Airbus A319 manually. He told the Chengdu Economic Daily his aircraft had just reached a cruising altitude of 32,000ft when a deafening sound tore through the cockpit. There was a sudden loss of pressure and drop in temperature. When he looked over, the right windshield was gone....
Post a Comment
Read more