As many as 245 feared dead in migrant boat disasters

As many as 245 migrants over the weekend are feared to have drowned in the Mediterranean off the coast of Libya, the United Nations Human Rights Commission said on Tuesday.

According to a statement by the UNHCR, about 1,300 people have died or disappeared since the beginning of the year in their bid to cross the Mediterranean Sea.

In the first incident, on Friday night, a rubber dinghy with 132 people sank after several hours of sailing. Of those. 50 were rescued and 82 people are feared dead or drowned.

In the second incident, on Sunday, a woman and six men were rescued by the Libyan coast guard. It is believed that at least 163 people have died.

International Medical Corps, which gave medical care to the survivors, also confirmed their account.

The UNHCR believes that more than 1,300 people have died or gone missing since the beginning of the year in their bid to make it to Europe. More than 43,000 are believed to have used the central Mediterranean to cross to Europe.