migrants have met with a boat tragedy yet again – 74 bodies have washed up on the northern coast of Libya near the city of Zawiya and many more are believed to still be under water. Rescue operations are on but it is a pathetic sight when people, desperate to flee to Europe from violence in the Middle East and Africa, meet a watery grave. They rubber dinghies and end up in the Mediterranean with their dreams of escape to freedom shattered.
Escape to Europe ends in death
The Libyan Red Crescent has, so far, recovered 74 bodies and they are presumed to be men of African origin who must have faced difficulties with their boat because a torn rubber dinghy was found near the location.
Volunteers who responded to a call for help have indicated that the occupants of the boat were migrants attempting to cross the Mediterranean and enter Europe.
Based on the type of dinghy, it is estimated that there would have been around 150 individuals on board out of which 74 bodies have been accounted for. With many more bodies awaiting retrieval from the waters, this is a major tragedy.
Migrants and the humanitarian crisis
The continued spate of violence in the Middle East and Africa has led to an exodus of people who want to live in peace. This has led to problems for the European countries because, with many of the refugees taking the Balkan route, there is a necessity to install barricades and strengthen security measures.
This is necessary to prevent entry of terrorists in the guise of asylum seekers.
Statistics from the International Organization for Migration (IOM) reveal that the number of migrants crossing between Libya and Europe is on the rise.
In case of migrants who opt for the sea route through the Mediterranean, the journey is fraught with dangers and many of them perish on the way.
According to IOM, in the first weeks of 2017, 272 migrants and refugees have drowned in the Mediterranean. The corresponding figure last year was 5082.
Needless to say that these migrants have landed the world into a major humanitarian crisis and efforts must be made by the leaders to restore peace in the troubled regions.
