Disaster In The Mediterranean

Reuters: Up to 700 feared dead after migrant boat sinks off Libya

(Reuters) - As many as 700 people were feared dead after a fishing boat packed with migrants capsized off the Libyan coast overnight, in what may be one of the worst disasters of the Mediterranean migrant crisis, officials said on Sunday.

Twenty eight people were rescued and 24 bodies recovered from the 20 meter-long vessel, which sank around 70 miles from the Libyan coast, south of the southern Italian island of Lampedusa, the Italian coast guard said.

If confirmed, the death toll would bring the total number of dead since the beginning of the year to more than 1,500 as the flow of migrants seeking to flee poverty, war and insecurity in sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East has continued.

Update #1: 24 dead, 28 safe, hundreds missing as Med migrant boat sinks -- AP
Update #2: 700 migrants feared dead in Mediterranean shipwreck -- The Guardian

WNU Editor: The reason why these numbers are increasing is because there are literally millions who are trying to flee to Europe right now. We are just seeing the tip of the iceberg.

Update #3: Talk about military action against Libya to curtail this refugee crisis is starting to make the rounds .... Overwhelmed by Migrants, Italy Mulls Action to Stabilize Libya (VOA).