Europe migrant crisis: United Nations says 240 asylum seekers drown off Libyan coastUpdatedMore than 200 asylum seekers have drowned off the coast of Libya within 48 hours, the United Nation's refugee agency said. Five rescue ships, coordinated by the Italian coastguard, were within sight of the asylum seekers but, despite attempts to rescue them, most died, the International Organization for Migration's (IOM) chief spokesman, Leonard Doyle said. The latest incident takes the death toll in the Mediterranean to 4,220 migrants so far this year, compared with 3,777 for the entirety of 2015. Survivors from one dinghy, whose passengers included about 20 women and six children, said their boat sank within hours of leaving Libya. Separately, Italy's coastguard 766 people were rescued from boats in difficulty in the central Mediterranean on Thursday, one woman's body was recovered.

Source: Libya Today November 03, 2016 19:57 UTC