Almost 400 people have been rescued so far from a vessel which sank off the coast of Libya while attempting to cross the Mediterranean Sea with an estimated 600 refugees and migrants on board, the United Nations refugee agency reported today.<\/p>\n
The bodies of a further 25 people had been recovered, but dozens more were still missing and feared dead after the flimsy, overcrowded fishing vessel sank minutes after it left shore, according to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).<\/p>\n
\u201cAnother terrible tragedy happened on the Mediterranean 15 miles off the coast of Libya, so obviously the boat was just setting off. Refugees and migrants do not deserve to die seeking a better life,” UNHCR spokesperson Melissa Fleming stated.<\/p>\n
Before this tragedy, which took place on 5 August, some 2,100 people had died so far this year trying to cross the Mediterranean to reach Europe.
\nSurvivors described how the boat was packed and that people panicked when they saw a rescue boat approaching, rushing to one side and tipping the vessel over, Ms. Fleming said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese are boats which should only have 40-50 people on board and not 600. People were stuffed into the haul, shoulder to shoulder, feet to feet in every possible nook and cranny.\u201d<\/p>\n
According to people on the rescue boat, there were bodies, life jackets and debris in the water. Rescuers did what they could to save panicked and frightened people (\u2026)<\/p>\n