Skip to main content

100 migrants feared to have drowned off coast of Libya


Migrants crossing the sea
Libyan coastguard said 100 people are feared to have drowned from a migrant boat off Libya’s western coast, a coastguard official said on Friday.
The official said the coastguard picked up 14 survivors from the boat just east of the capital, Tripoli.
Separately, the coastguard said it had intercepted 200 migrants from two other migrant boats east of Tripoli.
Libya is one of the main departure points for migrants trying to cross to Europe by sea, usually in flimsy inflatable boats provided by smugglers that often get punctured or break down.
Some make it to international waters where they hope to be picked up by international vessels, but increasing numbers are intercepted by Libya’s EU-backed coastguard and returned to Libya.
Departures surged in 2014 when conflict in Libya worsened and more than 650,000 migrants have crossed the central Mediterranean since then.
But the traffic has slowed since last July, when smuggling networks on Libya’s Mediterranean coast were partially disrupted under heavy Italian pressure.
This year just over 11,400 arrivals from Libya have been registered by Italy’s interior ministry, more than 80 percent fewer than during the same period in 2016 and 2017.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

3 people die, 8 injured during a birthday party clash in Bauchi State

                        The Bauchi State police command have confirmed that three persons were killed and eight others injured in a clash that erupted at a birthday party on Sunday night in Lushi Ward in Bauchi. The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Kamal Abubakar, confirmed the incident saying that 75 suspects had been arrested in connection with the clash. He said that two houses were burnt during the incident and that the situation has been brought under control. He also said that investigation was going on to get to the root of the crisis. According to Abubakar, the crisis started following a misunderstanding among some youths at a birthday party in Kusu area of Sakani which later spread to other parts of Yelwa Ward. An eye witness said that the incident might have started when two young men fought over a young lady a...
Post a Comment
Read more

Police Arrest 'Three Notorious Kidnappers' Of Channels TV Reporter Friday Okeregbe

The Nigeria Police Force (NPF) says it has arrested “three notorious persons” involved in the kidnap of Friday Okeregbe, the Channels reporter who covers the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation. Okeregbe was  kidnapped on March 22  along Games Village in Abuja while on his way from his mechanic's workshop. He was released a few days later, but that was only after the kidnappers had contacted his family to demand a ransom of N50m. On Sunday, the Police announced the capture of three of the kidnappers and released details of the abduction. “In line with the IGP’s stated commitment to curb all forms of crimes and criminality, especially incidences of kidnapping and other violent crimes in the country, Police Operatives attached to Operation Puff Adder, acting on intelligence report, on 9th April, 2019 at about 6:30am arrested three (3) notorious persons involved in the kidnap of Channels Television’s staff, Mr. Friday Okeregbe,” read a stateme...
Post a Comment
Read more

U.S. Charges Iranians For Global Cyber Attacks

The attack pilfered more than 31 terabytes of academic data and intellectual property.                   WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States on Friday charged nine Iranians and an Iranian company with attempting to hack into hundreds of U.S. and international universities, dozens of companies and parts of the U.S. government on behalf of the Tehran government. The cyber attack pilfered more than 31 terabytes of academic data and intellectual property from 144 U.S. universities and 176 universities in 21 foreign countries, the U.S. Department of Justice said in a statement. The U.S. Treasury Department said on its website that it was placing sanctions on those accused and the Mabna Institute, a company described by U.S. prosecutors as designed to help Iranian research organizations steal information. “These defendants are now fugitives of justice,” U.S. Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstei...
Post a Comment
Read more