ROME (AP) — The United Nations' migration agency said 75 migrants drowned in the Mediterranean Sea north of Libya earlier this week as they attempted to reach Italy by boat. That fishing boat “was in danger, due to the bad weather conditions at sea and due to the elevated number of persons on board," the Coast Guard said. After being rescued by two motorboats, they were transferred to a larger Coast Guard vessel. Each year, thousands of migrants and refugees from Africa, the Middle East and South Asia attempt the deadly Mediterranean sea crossing to Europe on overcrowded and often unseaworthy boats. More than 1,300 men, women and children have died so far in 2021 trying to cross the Central Mediterranean from Libya and Tunisia to Italy and Malta according to IOM.

Source: The North Africa Journal November 20, 2021 22:38 UTC