400 immigrants drown off Libya, say survivors

The Italian section of the International Organisation for Migration announced on the 14 April 2015 that the 2015 migrant smuggling season had resumed in full force, with nearly 8,000 people who had already been rescued in Italian waters since the beginning of April 2015.

However, in a tragic case revealing the extreme dangers of the process, news sources on the 15 April 2015 reported on a further drowning tragedy of the Libyan coast on the 12 April with approximately four hundred missing.

UN High Commissioner for Refugees António Guterres expressed shock at the news from the Mediterranean and called anew for urgent action to prevent such tragedies in the future.

Frontex, the European Union border management agency, reported that people smugglers had fired several shots on the 13 April 2015 to recover a wooden boat after the migrants it was carrying were rescued some 60NM from Libya. The search and rescue operation was carried out by an Italian tugboat and Icelandic Coast Guard vessel Týr deployed by Frontex.

• Primary Source

BBC News, 15.04.15: Hundreds of migrants feared drowned off Libya http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-32311358

ESO: Background information: MSF to launch Mediterranean migrant rescue boat http://www.europeansources.info/record/msf-to-launch-mediterranean-migrant-rescue-boat/

International Organization for Migration: Press Release, 14.04.15: IOM Monitors Latest Migrant Rescues in Mediterranean http://www.iom.int/cms/en/sites/iom/home/news-and-views/press-briefing-notes/pbn-2015/pbn-listing/iom-monitors-latest-migrant-resc.html

The Guardian, 14.04.15: 400 believed to have drowned off Libya after migrant boat capsizes http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/apr/14/400-drowned-libya-italy-migrant-boat-capsizes

Frontex: News, 14.04.15: Smugglers fire shots in migrant rescue operation http://frontex.europa.eu/news/smugglers-fire-shots-in-migrant-rescue-operation-yrzoyZ

Frontex: News, 08.04.15: 2,400 migrants rescued off Libyan coast before Easter http://frontex.europa.eu/news/2-400-migrants-rescued-off-libyan-coast-before-easter-8k1Cj9

The Local.it, 15.04.15: Up to 400 migrants die as boat capsizes http://www.thelocal.it/20150414/up-to-400-migrants-died-in-boat-capsize-survivors

EUObserver, 15.04.15: Hundreds of EU-bound migrants drown near Libya https://euobserver.com/justice/128323

Euro|Topics: Who's saying what: Europe's controversial refugee policy http://www.eurotopics.net/en/home/debatten/links-2013-10-lampedusa/

The Times, 14.04.15: Impassable borders to prevent refugee tragedies (via Euro|Topics) http://www.eurotopics.net/en/home/presseschau/archiv/aehnliche/archiv_article/ARTICLE161496-Impassable-borders-to-prevent-refugee-tragedies

BBC News, 15.04.15: Libya migrants: Sight of rescuers 'led to capsize' http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-32322297

UNHCR: News Stories, 15.04.15: Latest deaths on Mediterranean highlight urgent need for increased rescue capacity http://www.unhcr.org/552e603f9.html

The Conversation, 15.04.15: Q&A: what is being done to stem migrant crossings in the Mediterranean? http://theconversation.com/qanda-what-is-being-done-to-stem-migrant-crossings-in-the-mediterranean-40262

EurActiv, 16.04.15: Rights groups: EU leaders don’t care about drowning immigrants http://www.euractiv.com/sections/justice-home-affairs/rights-groups-eu-leaders-dont-care-about-drowning-immigrants-313829

Neue Zürcher Zeitung, 17.04.15: Europe playing hot potato with refugees (via Euro|Topics) http://www.eurotopics.net/en/home/presseschau/archiv/aehnliche/archiv_article/ARTICLE161692-Europe-playing-hot-potato-with-refugees

EurActiv, 16.04.15: The increasingly deadly route to the EU http://www.euractiv.com/sections/global-europe/increasingly-deadly-route-eu-313850

The Local.it, 04.03.15: Why Libya is ringing alarm bells in Italy http://www.thelocal.it/20150304/why-libya-is-ringing-alarm-bells-in-italy

The Guardian, 16.04.15: Italy calls for help rescuing migrants as 40 more reportedly drown http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/apr/16/italy-calls-eu-mediterranean-migration-crisis-rescue-migrants

International Organization for Migration: Press Release, 17.04.15: Migrant Deaths Soar in Mediterranean http://www.iom.int/cms/en/sites/iom/home/news-and-views/press-briefing-notes/pbn-2015/pbn-listing/migrant-deaths-soar-in-mediterra.html

ESO: Information Guide: European Migration Challenges http://www.europeansources.info/record/information-guide-european-migration-challenges/

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