New tragedy in Med leaves three survivors

The sinking of an inflatable boat carrying 120 people from Libya has caused a new tragedy in the Mediterranean. Only three people survived, after a rescue by the Italian navy. Another three bodies were recovered, with the other 114 people lost at sea, among them two pregnant women, a baby and two children.

The boat had set sail from the Libyan city of Castelverde and was carrying migrants from, mostly, Nigeria, Cameroon, Gambia, Ivory Coast and Sudan. After 11 hours at sea, the boat began to deflate, with the passengers, little by little, falling into the water, according to the survivors.

The Sea Watch NGO already warned on Friday that one of its planes had spotted the boat, albeit with only 25 passengers left on board. An Italian navy plane also saw the boat but when a rescue helicopter reached the vessel only three survivors were left, who were taken to the island of Lampedusa.