Survivors of Libyan shipwreck report 7 Syrians dead
Posted August 20, 2016 7:00 am
MILAN (AP) - The U.N. refugee agency says that survivors of a shipwreck off Libya have reported at least seven people, including three children, died when the small wooden boat carrying 27 people, mostly Syrian refugees, capsized.
A Spanish aid group recovered five bodies, including two Syrian girls aged 8 months and 5 years, during the rescue Thursday.
UNHCR representative Medea Savary said that survivors arriving in the Sicilian port of Trapani on Saturday reported that a woman and another child also died, but the bodies couldn't be recovered.
Survivors said that the boat began taking on water a few hours after departing Libya, and eventually capsized.
The Migrant Offshore Aid Station, MOAS, brought the five bodies to Trapani, along with 304 people rescued in recent days.
A woman from Nigeria comforts a child on the Astral vessel after been rescued by members of Proactiva Open Arms NGO, during a rescue operation at the Mediterranean sea, about 17 miles north of Sabratah, Libya, Saturday, Aug. 20, 2016. Migrants seemingly prefer to face the dangers of the journey towards Europe, rather than stay at home. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)
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A woman from Nigeria reacts on the Astral vessel after been rescued by members of Proactiva Open Arms NGO, during a rescue operation at the Mediterranean sea, about 17 miles north of Sabratah, Libya, Saturday, Aug. 20, 2016. Migrants seemingly prefer to face the dangers of the journey towards Europe, rather than stay at home.(AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)
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Women from Nigeria sits at the Astral vessel after been rescued by members of Proactiva Open Arms NGO, during a rescue operation at the Mediterranean sea, about 17 miles north of Sabratah, Libya, Saturday, Aug. 20, 2016. Migrants seemingly prefer to face the dangers of the journey towards Europe, rather than stay at home.(AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)
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An Italian military officer lifts a young child into a navy ship, evacuated by members of Proactiva Open Arms NGO, during a rescue operation at the Mediterranean sea, about 17 miles north of Sabratah, Libya, Saturday, Aug. 20, 2016. Migrants seemingly prefer to face the dangers of the journey towards Europe, rather than stay at home.(AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)
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Children from Nigeria sleep on the Astral vessel after been rescued by members of Proactiva Open Arms NGO, during a rescue operation at the Mediterranean sea, about 17 miles north of Sabratah, Libya, Saturday, Aug. 20, 2016. Migrants seemingly prefer to face the dangers of the journey towards Europe, rather than stay at home.(AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)
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A woman from Nigeria is carried away by a member of Proactiva Open Arms NGO, as they transfer them to an Italian navy ship, during a rescue operation at the Mediterranean sea, about 17 miles north of Sabratah, Libya, Saturday, Aug. 20, 2016. Migrants seemingly prefer to face the dangers of the journey towards Europe, rather than stay at home.(AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)
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Migrants from Nigeria crowd onto a dinghy fleeing Libya as they are helped by members of a Spanish NGO, during a rescue operation at the Mediterranean sea, about 17 miles north of Sabratah, Libya, Saturday, Aug. 20, 2016. Migrants seemingly prefer to face the dangers of the journey towards Europe, rather than stay at home.(AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)
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Migrants fleeing Libya on board a dinghy are helped by members of Proactiva Open Arms NGO, before transferring them to an Italian navy ship, during a rescue operation at the Mediterranean sea, about 17 miles north of Sabratah, Libya, Saturday, Aug. 20, 2016. Migrants seemingly prefer to face the dangers of the journey towards Europe, rather than stay at home.(AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)
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Migrants from Nigeria crowd onto a dinghy with feet hanging over the edge, fleeing from Libya, before being helped by members of a Spanish NGO, during a rescue operation at the Mediterranean sea, about 17 miles north of Sabratah, Libya, Saturday, Aug. 20, 2016. Migrants seemingly prefer to face the dangers of the journey towards Europe, rather than stay at home. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)
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