About 240 people are suspected to have drowned this week in four separate incidents in the Mediterranean, raising the total annual death toll to an unprecedented 4,500. Facebook Twitter Pinterest A Libyan Red Crescent rescuer with one of the drowned migrants found on the shore of al-Maya last week. Up to 10 people died in two further tragedies in recent days, bringing the death toll this week to at least 240. “Without alternative ways to reach Europe, refugees will always try to reach safety in dangerous ways,” said Ibba. The rising death toll in 2016 can be partly explained by the increasing use of the inflatable boats, which are even more dangerous than the wooden ships they replaced.

Source: The Guardian November 16, 2016 17:50 UTC