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At least 60 migrants have died after a rubber dinghy ran into trouble in the Mediterranean Sea, according to survivors.<\/p>\n
The 25 survivors were picked up by the Ocean Viking, a vessel operated by the humanitarian group SOS M\u00e9diterran\u00e9e.<\/p>\n
They told their rescuers that they had set off from Zawiya on the Libyan coast seven days before being rescued.<\/p>\n
The engine of the dinghy broke down after three days, leaving the boat adrift without food or water.<\/p>\n
The survivors said that the victims included women and at least one child.<\/p>\n
SOS M\u00e9diterran\u00e9e said the Ocean Viking team had spotted the dinghy with binoculars on Wednesday and had staged a medical evacuation in co-operation with Italian coast guards.<\/p>\n
It said the survivors were “in very weak health condition” and were all under medical care.<\/p>\n
Two of them, who were unconscious and in critical condition, had been flown to Sicily by helicopter for further treatment, the group added.<\/p>\n
The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) said last week that 2023 was the deadliest year for migrants since records began a decade ago, with at least 8,565 people dying on migration routes worldwide.<\/p>\n
The UN agency said the figure was 20% up on the year before.<\/p>\n
Its report found that the Mediterranean crossing continued to be the most dangerous journey, with at least 3,129 deaths and disappearances during 2023 – the highest toll since 2017.<\/p>\n
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