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A handout frame video provided on Oct. 5, 2016 and released by the Italian Coast Guard shows migrants boarding a ship during a rescue operation conducted off the Italian coast near Lampedusa. (Photo: ITALIAN COAST GUARD / HANDOUT, EPA)

Hundreds of migrants are believed to have drowned after two boats sank off the coast of Libya, a United Nations official said Thursday.

Carlotta Sami, a spokeswoman for the U.N. refugee agency (UNHCR), said at least 239 people were dead, Reuters reported. She said two survivors who were taken ashore on the Italian island of Lampedusa told authorities that the rubber dinghies they were traveling in capsized Wednesday in heavy seas shortly after leaving Libya.

The first boat sank when wooden planks at the bottom broke, causing the dinghy to capsize 25 miles off the Libyan coast, the UNHCR said. Among the 140 people on board were six children and about 20 women, some pregnant. Twenty-nine people were rescued, and 12 bodies were recovered.

Two women found swimming at sea told rescuers that 128 other people had died in their wreck.

“I am deeply saddened by another tragedy on the high seas,” U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi said. “So many lives could be saved through more resettlement and legal pathways to protection. The Mediterranean is a deadly stretch of sea for refugees and migrants, yet they still see no other option but to risk their lives to cross it.”

Most people on board appeared to have been sub-Saharan Africans, the Associated Press reported.

The International Organization for Migration said 4,220 people have died so far this year trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea to reach Europe. Last month, UNHCR said more than 3,800 people were dead or missing in the Mediterranean in 2016, making it the highest figure ever.

The refugee crisis escalated in 2015 as more and more people fled regional conflicts and made the journey across the Mediterranean in hopes of a better life in Europe. Most refugees are from Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq. The vast majority of fatalities occur on the treacherous route between Libya and Italy, according to the Global Migration Data Analysis Center in Berlin.

Also Thursday, human rights organization Amnesty International said in a report that pressure on Italy from the European Union to “get tough” on migrants has led to incidents that may amount to torture.

Allegations made in the report against authorities include beatings, electric shocks and sexual humiliation.

“In their determination to reduce the onward movement of refugees and migrants to other member states, EU leaders have driven the Italian authorities to the limits – and beyond – of what is legal,” Matteo de Bellis, Amnesty International’s researcher on Italy, said in a statement.

“The result is that traumatized people, arriving in Italy after harrowing journeys, are being subjected to flawed assessments and in some instances appalling abuse at the hands of the police, as well as unlawful expulsions.”

The Italian authorities didn't immediately respond to the claims.

Contributing: The Associated Press

Read or Share this story: http://usat.ly/2fhYOFK</s>Europe migrant crisis: United Nations says 240 asylum seekers drown off Libyan coast

Updated

More than 200 asylum seekers have drowned off the coast of Libya within 48 hours, the United Nation's refugee agency said.

Five rescue ships, coordinated by the Italian coastguard, were within sight of the asylum seekers but, despite attempts to rescue them, most died, the International Organization for Migration's (IOM) chief spokesman, Leonard Doyle said.

Key points: More than 200 people drown off Libyan coast within 48 hours

4,220 asylum seekers died in Mediterranean in 2016 to date

Arrivals to Italy in October more than previous two Octobers combined

"Two rubber dinghies, which is what they are, rubber dinghies, packed with migrants, totalling over 300 we think in all ... have succumbed to the the waves off Libya in very bad weather," he said.

The latest incident takes the death toll in the Mediterranean to 4,220 migrants so far this year, compared with 3,777 for the entirety of 2015.

Asylum seekers have told the refugee agency that smugglers say European training of Libyan coastguards means that rescue missions will soon be handed over to Libya and so any rescued migrants will be taken ashore in Libya rather than in Italy, IOM's Italy spokesman Flavio di Giacomo said.

That might be causing the rush, despite the bad weather, he said.

Migrant and refugee arrivals in Italy increased to 27,388 in October, more than the two previous Octobers combined, and bringing this year's total to more than 158,000, Mr Giacomo said.

According to Mr Doyle, the use of dinghies, especially unsuitable for the long sea crossing in bad weather, was partly due to European navies capturing and destroying many of the fishing boats that smugglers had been using.

"In the absence of those boats and with the migrants determined to leave, and the smugglers interested in making money off them, they have been putting them in completely unsafe rubber dinghies," he said.

Survivors from one dinghy, whose passengers included about 20 women and six children, said their boat sank within hours of leaving Libya.

Twelve bodies, including three babies, have been recovered and about 27 survived, Mr Giacomo said.

Another two women said they had survived the sinking of a second dinghy, carrying about 130 people.

Separately, Italy's coastguard 766 people were rescued from boats in difficulty in the central Mediterranean on Thursday, one woman's body was recovered.

Reuters

Topics: refugees, accidents---other, libyan-arab-jamahiriya

First posted</s>One group of migrants, including about 20 women and six children, set off in a rubber dinghy from Libya around 3 a.m. on Wednesday, but their boat collapsed after a few hours, said Flavio di Giacomo, a spokesman for the U.N.'s International Organisation for Migration, who cited accounts by survivors.

By the time rescuers arrived, most had drowned. Twelve bodies were recovered, including three babies. About 27 survived.

Another two women reported surviving a separate disaster that happened at about the same time. Their rubber dinghy was carrying about 130 people.

The International Organization for Migration said the latest deaths meant 4,220 lives had been lost in the Mediterranean so far this year, compared with 3,777 in the whole of 2015.

October saw a surge in migrant arrivals in Italy, with 27,388 arriving, more than the two previous Octobers combined, and bringing this year's total arrivals to over 158,000, di Giacomo said.

The smugglers who arrange the journeys have told migrants that European training of Libyan coastguards means the rescue missions will soon be handed over to Libya and any rescued migrants will be taken ashore in Libya rather than Italy, di Giacomo said.

That was possibly causing the rush to board boats now, he said, although the information, gleaned from rescued migrants, was not confirmed.</s>The International Organisation for Migration said the latest deaths meant 4,220 lives had been lost in the Mediterranean so far this year, compared to 3,777 in the whole of 2015.

At least 239 refugees, believed to be from West Africa, have died in two shipwrecks off Libya, a spokesman for the United Nations refugee agency said on Thursday.

One group of migrants, including about 20 women and six children, set off in a rubber dinghy from Libya around 3 a.m. local time on Wednesday, but their boat collapsed after a few hours, said Flavio di Giacomo, the spokesman for the International Organisation for Migration. He cited accounts by survivors.

By the time rescuers arrived, most had drowned. Twelve bodies were recovered, including three babies. About 27 survived.

Another two women reported surviving a separate disaster that happened at about the same time. Their rubber dinghy was carrying about 130 people.

The International Organisation for Migration said the latest deaths meant 4,220 lives had been lost in the Mediterranean so far this year, compared to 3,777 in the whole of 2015.

October saw a surge in migrant arrivals in Italy, with 27,388 arriving, more than the two previous Octobers combined, and bringing this year's total arrivals to over 158,000, Mr. di Giacomo said.

The smugglers who arrange the journeys have told migrants that European training of Libyan coastguards means the rescue missions will soon be handed over to Libya and any rescued migrants will be taken ashore in Libya rather than Italy, Mr. di Giacomo said.

That was possibly causing the rush to board boats now, he said, although the information, gleaned from rescued migrants, was not confirmed.</s>At least 110 migrants are feared drowned after they were forced at gunpoint to set sail from Libya, while many more may have died in a separate shipwreck, survivors said Thursday.

The Norwegian Siem Pilot was first on the scene, around 20 nautical miles off Libya, and rescued the survivors — all in a poor condition after hours in the water — with the help of four other vessels. Twelve bodies were recovered.

In a possible second incident, which could not be confirmed by the coast guard, two women told the UN agency they believed they were the only survivors in an disaster in which some 125 people drowned.

"They told us they were on a faulty dinghy which began to sank as soon as they set sail. They were the only survivors," Sami said.

Those pulled to safety were transferred to Lampedusa by the Italian coast guard, where they told aid workers and the island's doctor how they had set off from Libya in rough seas.

Once the migrants had realised they were being put out to sea in bad weather, they tried to turn back, but were forced on at gunpoint.

"To make them get on the dinghies they (the traffickers) shot a man, killing him dead. They made them depart and after a few miles at sea the tragedy happened," Bartolo said.

"One woman said she had to hold on to a dead body to survive. They said they spent many hours in the water in the hope someone would save them. But when the rescuers arrived there was nothing to be done for most of them," he added.

"Another tragedy on the high seas, with 239 feared dead in the Mediterranean, once again. So many lives could be saved through more resettlement and legal pathways to protection," said the UN's refugee chief Filippo Grandi.

The rescue situation is often chaotic, with people confused, sick or exhausted after periods in crisis-hit Libya unable to specify how many people were on board their dinghies at the outset or what vessel pulled them from the water.

"The (Responder) crew was shouting at them to sit down and stay calm while the life jackets were handed out but they were getting agitated, and around 10 of them fell overboard, some without life jackets on," photographer Andreas Solaro said.

October marked a record monthly high in the number of migrants arriving in Italy in recent years — some 27,000 people — and the departures have showed no sign of slowing, despite worsening weather in the Mediterranean.

Amnesty International warned Thursday the pressure placed on Italy by Europe to cope alone with the worst migration crisis since World War II had led to "unlawful expulsions and ill-treatment which in some cases may amount to torture".</s>This article is part of our premium content.

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Already have an account? Sign in here</s>MILAN — Survivors say as many as 240 people have died in two shipwrecks off Libya, the U.N. refugee agency reported Thursday — bringing this year's toll to more than 4,220 migrants dead or missing in risky Mediterranean Sea crossings, the highest count on record.

Carlotta Sami, a UNHCR spokeswoman in Italy, said 31 survivors of two shipwrecks who arrived on the southern Italian island of Lampedusa reported that the rubber dinghies they were traveling in had capsized in heavy seas shortly after leaving Libya.

Sami said 29 people survived the first wreck, reporting that about 120 other people on their boat had gone missing. And in a separate operation, two women found swimming at sea told rescuers that another 120 people had died in their wreck.

In both cases, most people on board appeared to have been sub-Saharan Africans, but Sami said aid workers were still ascertaining details about the shipwrecks.

Leonard Doyle, a spokesman for the International Organization for Migration, said 12 bodies were recovered in one of the shipwrecks, located 25 miles off the Libyan coast.

UNHCR said the increased number of deaths this year is partly due to the fact that smugglers are often using rubber dinghies, which are prone to deflating and often see people fall overboard. In addition, more migrants are arriving with severe burns from being exposed to fuel mixed with sea water in the bottom of the dinghies. Smugglers are using rubber dinghies because they are cheaper and easier to obtain.

According to the IOM, 3,777 people were dead or missing in the Mediterranean last year, the previous high.

International agencies rely heavily on survivor accounts to tally the number of people dead or missing in the dangerous journey across the Mediterranean in smugglers' boats. Often the boats sink in high seas, where it is difficult if not impossible to recover any bodies.
The United Nations believes that at least 239 migrants drowned in shipwrecks near the coast of Libya.