MILAN — Survivors say as many as 240 people have died in two shipwrecks off Libya, the U.N. refugee agency reported Thursday, bringing this year's toll to more than 4,220 migrants dead or missing in risky Mediterranean Sea crossings, the highest count on record. UNHCR emphasized that the number of dead was an estimate. International agencies rely heavily on survivor accounts to tally the number of people dead or missing in the dangerous journey across the Mediterranean in smugglers' boats. Smugglers are using rubber dinghies because they are cheaper and easier to obtain. According to the IOM, 3,777 people were dead or missing as they tried to cross the Mediterranean last year, the previous high.

Source: Libya Today November 03, 2016 13:53 UTC