Ten bodies of migrants who died of suffocation were found in an overcrowded boat off the coast of Libya, Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said.
The “Geo Barents”, the rescue ship of the non-governmental organization, gathered 99 migrants alive, it was clarified last Tuesday night.
“Ten people were found dead at the bottom of a wooden, full boat,” MSF wrote on Twitter.
“Ten deaths that could have been avoided. Like the deaths of 1,225 others who lost their lives crossing the Mediterranean earlier this year. “Ten people died of suffocation after 13 hours stranded at sea,” the NGO added.
“The deadly street of the central Mediterranean. “How can we accept this in 2022?” He asked.
Tens of thousands of people are trying to reach Europe by crossing the Mediterranean from Libya or Tunisia in order to reach the shores of Italy.
This crossing is particularly dangerous: at least 1,236 people have already lost their lives this year, compared to 858 in the same period in 2020, according to Flavio Di Giacomo of the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
The Geo Barents rescue operation “probably prevented the deaths of other migrants,” the MSF said, stressing “the need to strengthen naval patrols.”
According to the NGO, “Geo Barents” currently transports 186 people, including women and children, with the youngest being just 10 months old.
“Many of them are injured in the horrific ordeal,” said MSF, which is seeking a safe haven to disembark.
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