Over 640 people are feared to have drowned when a fishing boat smuggling migrants to Europe capsized off libya, the United Nations’ refugee agency said on Sunday, in what could be the deadliest Mediterranean migrant disaster yet.
Only 28 people survived the capsize, UNHCR spokeswoman Carlotta Sami told the Skytg24 news channel in Italy. The survivors indicated there had been more than 700 on board, she said. However, the Maltese navy put the numbers on board at around 650 and said an alert had come in around midnight local time on Saturday.