More than 100 migrants missing after shipwreck off Libya coast

More than 5,000 migrants aiming to cross the Mediterranean to Europe were rescued by Libyan and Italian coastguards over the last two weeks.

Migrants in a boat arrive at a naval base after they were rescued by Libyan coastguard, in Tripoli, Libya. Overall, there have been more than 100,000 arrivals in Italy this year, a decline of more than 20 percent compared to 2016, official Italian data show. August 29, 2017.
Reuters

Migrants in a boat arrive at a naval base after they were rescued by Libyan coastguard, in Tripoli, Libya. Overall, there have been more than 100,000 arrivals in Italy this year, a decline of more than 20 percent compared to 2016, official Italian data show. August 29, 2017.

More than 100 migrants are missing after a shipwreck off the coast of western Libya, the Libyan navy said on Thursday.

Rescuers found at least seven survivors on Wednesday after they had remained for three days at sea, navy spokesman Ayub Kassem said, without providing further details.

The shipwreck occurred off the town of Sabratha, a hub for illegal migration to Europe that has seen violent clashes between rival armed groups since Sunday.

Last week, Libya's coastguard rescued more than 3,000 migrants aiming to cross the Mediterranean to Europe, while Italy picked up another 2,000.

Numbers attempting the dangerous voyage have dropped off significantly in recent months. Overall, there have been more than 100,000 arrivals in Italy this year, a decline of more than 20 percent compared to 2016, official Italian data show.

Arrivals of rescued migrants in Italy fell 50 percent in July from a year earlier, and declined more than 80 percent in August - two months that had been peak periods during the previous three years.

However,  rescues indicate the route is still very much open.

The tally was the highest reported out of Libya for a one-week period since a dramatic fall in numbers in mid-July.

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