At least 65 migrants have died from shipwrecks in the Mediterranean Sea in the past week. And with hundreds still missing, officials fear the death toll could soar above 700.
Most of the victims were on three ill-fated boats.
About 100 people remain missing Sunday after a boat capsized Wednesday, said Federico Fossi, spokesman for the United Nations’ refugee agency. Five people died in that disaster; more than 560 survived while on Friday, another migrant boat started taking in water. It’s not clear how many people were on board, but at least 45 people died.
A ship crowded with people fleeing conflict in the Mideast flips onto its side Wednesday as an Italian navy ship approaches. Five people died and 500 were rescued.
The deaths mark the latest wave of fatalities involving migrants boarding crowded boats in a desperate attempt to reach Europe.
At least 1,475 migrants have died so far this year, according to the International Organization for Migration. But that number could skyrocket if the roughly 650 missing are confirmed dead.
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