Efforts by refugees to reach Europe via the Mediterranean Sea continue, with smuggling boats departing from North Africa, Lebanon, Syria, and Turkey, carrying thousands without safety or rescue means. Many boats face capsizing incidents at sea due to various factors, such as bad weather and overloading, leading the Mediterranean to be termed a "floating graveyard" for refugees, according to the Guardian newspaper.
More than 75 refugees tragically lost their lives after the boat carrying them capsized a few days ago due to a storm that produced high waves off the coast of Libya while they were attempting to reach Europe. The United Nations described this capsizing incident as "one of the deadliest shipwrecks of the year." Fishermen rescued 15 refugees and transported them to the port of Zuwara in northwestern Libya. They reported that around 92 individuals were aboard the ship when the incident occurred on November 17.
Most of those who perished were from Africa, specifically from sub-Saharan regions, hence the majority of them do not know how to swim, as their countries are far from seas and oceans. The newspaper cites members of rescue teams stating that smugglers are sending hundreds of refugees to sea, ignoring stormy weather, and such trips often end in tragedy. The Mediterranean Sea witnesses numerous smuggling operations toward Europe via sea, especially in the summer when the waters are warm and the weather is not stormy.
Flavio Di Giacomo, a spokesperson for the United Nations International Organization for Migration (IOM), stated, "In November, despite bad weather, the number of refugees leaving Libya to attempt to reach Europe has increased." He emphasized the danger of smuggling operations during storms and the importance of having an immediate response to rescue calls. He added that "any delay in rescue operations, even by five minutes, can make the difference between life and death" for refugees.
Doctors Without Borders reported last week that 10 dead refugees were found on a "severely overcrowded" wooden boat off the coast of Libya. In a related context, the office of Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati announced last Saturday that the Lebanese Navy rescued a boat carrying dozens of refugees who left Lebanon heading westward across the Mediterranean but became incapacitated off the coast. This is the latest voyage of those fleeing the worsening economic collapse in Lebanon, where approximately 75% of the population currently lives below the poverty line, according to the Associated Press.
On Friday, the internal security forces raided a beach resort in the town of Qalamoun in northern Lebanon, thwarting an attempt to smuggle 82 men, women, and children to Europe. The police reported that the passengers paid $5,000 each for their smuggling, and they arrested one of the smugglers. Last year, several Lebanese drowned in the Mediterranean while trying to reach Europe. Hundreds have been rescued since the onset of the economic crisis in Lebanon in late 2019.
According to the latest statistics published by the newspaper, around 1,300 people have died or gone missing while attempting to cross the Mediterranean since the beginning of the year. In April alone, more than 120 refugees drowned in a single incident. Since the beginning of October, nearly 170 individuals from Africa and the Middle East have died due to waves or cold.
