ROME—Three survivors of a rubber dinghy that sank in the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Libya say up to 117 other migrants were aboard at the time, a UN migration official said Saturday. Italy’s populist government has banned private rescue boats from bringing migrants to Italian shores. Article Continued BelowThe three survivors of the sinking were plucked to safety by an Italian navy helicopter on Friday afternoon, the navy said. The Italian navy said when its patrol plane first spotted the sinking dinghy it had about 20 persons aboard. The Italian Coast Guard says Libya asked a nearby cargo ship to search for survivors but the ship reported it found no one.

Source: thestar January 19, 2019 17:37 UTC