At least ten migrants drowned and many more were feared missing after their dinghy deflated off the Libyan coast as the dangerous Mediterranean route to Europe claimed the first lives this year.
Rescuers located the migrants’ punctured dinghy on Saturday, picking up 86 survivors and recovering the bodies of eight women from the water.
“There were up to 150 on board, so dozens are missing and, at sea, when you are missing you are dead,” Laura Lanuza, of Proactiva Open Arms, a Spanish migrant rescue charity, said.
The dinghy left from Garbouli, east of Tripoli, showing that pressure from the Libyan coastguard and winter temperatures have not stopped migrants risking their lives to reach Europe.
Yesterday the bodies of two more women were recovered and