Tripoli, 30 August:
The bodies of 43 illegal immigrants were pulled from the sea near Sabratha on Tuesday, while security forces managed . . .[restrict]to save 32 others, according to local officials.
The group had set out by boat from Tripoli, in an attempt to reach Europe, but their craft was not up to the challenge and, after being blown off course by unfavourable weather conditions, it capsized and eventually sank. They are thought to be of various African nationalities.
A similar catastrophe occurred the day before, when an Egyptian boat carrying 40 illegal immigrants capsized off the Libyan coast; the Egyptian foreign ministry reported that only one survivor was found.
According to the Egyptian authorities the cause of the disaster was overloading, as the boat was only designed to carry 15 people.
Earlier this month Human Rights Watch estimated that 170 migrants have drowned in the Mediterranean this year, however that number continues to rise. [/restrict]
