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1O immigrants died on the boat while attempting to reach Europe from Libya. The cause of death was suffocation with hydrocarbon poisoning due to overcrowding.
When the rescue team reached the sinking boat, the people on the boat talked about the immigrants on the lower deck. 99 people were rescued from the same boat by the Geo Barent Rescue ship on Tuesday. The dead bodies were recovered after two hours of rescuing other immigrants.
Doctore Without Borders (MSF) informed that the immigrants died after 13 hours of traveling in the cramped up lower deck of the boat.
“ It was horrific and infuriating at the same time. This is another tragedy at sea, that could have been avoided”. Reported The Guardian, quoting Fulvia Conte, MSF deputy search and rescue team leader on the Geo Barent ship.
Alarm Phone, the voluntary hotline service for migrants and refugees crossing the Mediterranean, received the first call for help at around 9:30 am GMT on Tuesday. All relevant authorities, including the Italian and Maltese coastguards, were informed as well. The second call was received when the water started coming inside the boat. No response came from state authorities. The only response received was from Geo Barents.
This rescue operation was the third operation performed by the Geneva-based organization, in 24 hours. 186 immigrants have been rescued in 24 hours among whom a 10-month-old baby was the youngest.
International Organization of Migration recorded 1,236 immigrant deaths in the central Mediterranian sea. They were refugees or immigrants seeking asylum