'Dozens die' as migrant boat sinks in Mediterranean

 

Dozens of migrants have drowned in the Mediterranean after a boat sank south of Sicily, the Save the Children aid group says.

It says survivors reported that many people fell into the sea as a rescue vessel was approaching.
The survivors arrived in the city of Catania on Tuesday.
At least 1,750 people have died this year trying to cross the Mediterranean, a 20-fold increase on the same period in 2014.


Giovanna di Benedetto, Save the Children's representative in Catania, said the latest sinking is thought to have happened on Sunday, but the exact toll was not known.
"They [survivors] said there were 137 people aboard an inflatable boat that deflated or exploded - it wasn't clear - and that some of them fell overboard," Ms di Benedetto told AFP news agency.
"Some said 'very many' died, others said 'around 40'," she added.