{"id":113956,"date":"2015-05-05T11:50:30","date_gmt":"2015-05-05T11:50:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/4cd.e16.myftpupload.com\/?p=113956"},"modified":"2015-05-05T11:50:30","modified_gmt":"2015-05-05T11:50:30","slug":"dozens-die-as-migrant-boat-sinks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/2015\/05\/dozens-die-as-migrant-boat-sinks\/","title":{"rendered":"‘Dozens die’ as migrant boat sinks"},"content":{"rendered":"
Dozens of migrants have drowned in the Mediterranean after a boat sank south of Sicily, the Save the Children aid group says.<\/p>\n
It says survivors reported that many people fell into the sea as a rescue vessel was approaching.<\/p>\n
The survivors arrived in the city of Catania on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
At least 1,750 people have died this year trying to cross the Mediterranean, a 20-fold increase on the same period in 2014.<\/p>\n
Giovanna di Benedetto, Save the Children’s representative in Catania, said the latest sinking is thought to have happened on Sunday, but the exact toll was not known.<\/p>\n
“They [survivors] said there were 137 people aboard an inflatable boat that deflated or exploded – it wasn’t clear – and that some of them fell overboard,” Ms di Benedetto told AFP news agency.<\/p>\n
“Some said ‘very many’ died, others said ‘around 40’,” she added.<\/p>\n
Over the weekend more than 5,800 migrants were rescued and 10 bodies recovered off the Libyan coast, according to the Italian coastguard.<\/p>\n
Italian and French ships picked up survivors from wooden and rubber boats in 17 separate operations.<\/p>\n
The latest deaths come as naval chiefs from 26 European countries are due to discuss the migrant crisis at talks in Naples, southern Italy.<\/p>\n