- Title: Six migrant bodies recovered off Libyan coast after hundreds drown
- Date: 5th November 2016
- Summary: RESCUE WORKERS CARRYING BODY BAG
- Embargoed: 20th November 2016 17:53
- Keywords: Libya migrant crisis Europe Mediterranean
- Location: JANZOUR, LIBYA
- City: JANZOUR, LIBYA
- Country: Libya
- Topics: Disaster/Accidents,Sea Accidents
- Reuters ID: LVA0035763KG7
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: EDITORS PLEASE NOTE: THIS EDIT CONTAINS GRAPHIC IMAGES
The bodies of six migrants were recovered from the Libyan coast on Saturday (November 5), bringing the total to 41 this week, rescue workers from the Red Crescent have said.
The bodies washed ashore in the city of Janzour, a suburb of Tripoli.
The International Red Crescent's Tripoli branch recovered four more bodies on Thursday (November 3) and eight on Friday (November 4).
The rescue operations began on Sunday (October 30) after three separate migrant accidents were reported in the last week alone.
The U.N. reported on Friday that at least 240 had drowned off Libya in the prior 48 hours.
Migrant arrivals in Italy surged to 27,388 in October, more than the two previous Octobers combined, and bringing this year's total to more than 158,000, according to the International Organisation for Migration (IOM).
The IOM has reported that migrants told them smugglers say European training of Libyan coastguards means that rescue missions will soon be handed over to Libya and so any rescued migrants will be taken ashore in Libya rather than in Italy. The rumour may be causing the rush, despite the bad weather, the IOM has said.
The latest deaths mean at 4,220 migrants have died in the Mediterranean so far this year, compared with 3,777 in the whole of 2015, according to the IOM. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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