Fifty-Four people have died attempting to cross the Mediterranean from Libya to Italy, the UNHCR says.
Only one person, an Eritrean man, survived the 15-day ordeal after the 55 passengers set off from Libya in late June, the United Nations’ refugee organisation said late on Tuesday from its headquarters in Geneva, calling the incident a “tragedy”. The survivor was rescued off the Tunisian coast late on Monday, and was being treated for dehydration and exposure. The others died of dehydration, as they had not taken any water, he told UNHCR staff.
They came within sight of the Italian coast a day after leaving Libya, but were pushed back out to sea by high winds, he said. He was found clinging to a jerrycan and the remains of their inflatable boat, which had developed a puncture. More than 1300 people from Libya have arrived in Italy by boat this year, and 1000 in Malta, according to the UNHCR, while around 170 have died since January attempting to cross to Europe.
