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ATHENS: At least 21 Bangladeshi migrants were rescued off the coast of Greece after a deadly six-day journey across the Mediterranean, during which 22 people died, survivors told Greek authorities. The Greek coast guard said a total of 26 people&mdash;including a woman and a minor&mdash;were picked up late Friday by a European border agency vessel south of the island of Crete. Among the survivors were 21 Bangladeshis, four South Sudanese nationals and one Chadian citizen. Thrown into the sea&nbsp;Survivors said those who died during the voyage were thrown into the sea on the orders of a smuggler onboard. Two of the rescued migrants were taken to hospital in Heraklion, Crete, the coast guard said. Based on survivor accounts, the boat had departed from Tobruk, a port city in eastern Libya, on March 21, heading for Greece&mdash;a key entry point for migrants seeking asylum in the European Union. &ldquo;During the journey, the passengers lost their bearings and remained at sea for six days without food or water,&rdquo; the coast guard said. Deaths from exhaustion&nbsp;Authorities added that the combination of harsh weather and lack of supplies led to deaths from exhaustion. Greek officials have arrested two South Sudanese men, aged 19 and 22, suspected of being involved in smuggling.&nbsp; They are under investigation for illegal entry and negligent homicide. The vessel was located about 53 nautical miles south of Ierapetra, on southern Crete. The incident comes amid a sharp rise in migrant deaths in the Mediterranean.&nbsp; According to the International Organization for Migration, 559 people died on the route in January and February this year, compared to 287 during the same period last year. The European Union has called for intensified cooperation with countries along migration routes and stronger action against human smugglers, while recently approving stricter migration measures that have drawn criticism from rights groups.

Bangladesh

Survivors said those who died during the voyage were thrown into the sea on the orders of a smuggler onboard.

21 Bangladeshis rescued after deadly Mediterranean migrant ordeal

TRIPOLI: Scores of Sudanese refugees were dead or missing after two boat disasters off the coast of Libya last weekend, UN agencies said on Wednesday.One boat capsized on Saturday, according to the UN refugee agency, and a second caught fire on Sunday, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said -- each off the eastern port city of Tobruk.The first boat was carrying 74 people, &quot;mostly Sudanese refugees&quot;, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said on its X account for Libya, of whom &quot;only 13 people survived and dozens remain missing&quot; from Saturday&#39;s wreck.<div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="true" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-0&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1968344775863791988&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Fmedia-library%2F&sessionId=14c341dbfb98918785efb5bb9a0a81648663a43f&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 921px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" data-tweet-id="1968344775863791988"></iframe></div></div>An IOM spokesperson earlier told AFP that Sunday&#39;s &quot;tragic incident took place when a rubber boat carrying 75 Sudanese refugees caught fire&quot; en route to Greece, adding: &quot;At least 50 lives were lost.&quot;The UNHCR and the IOM spokesperson did not immediately provide details of the ages or gender of those on board the boats.&quot;IOM provided immediate lifesaving medical care to the 24 survivors,&quot; the spokesperson added, without clarifying if one last person was still missing from Sunday&#39;s wreck.Libya is a key transit country for thousands of migrants seeking to reach Europe by sea each year.Perilous Mediterranean crossing&nbsp;At least 456 people died and 420 were reported missing along the central Mediterranean route between January 1 and September 13, according to the IOM.Libyan authorities have so far this year intercepted and returned 17,402 migrants to Libya, including 1,516 women and 586 children.The war in neighboring Sudan has pushed over 140,000 refugees into Libya in the past two years, nearly doubling the number of Sudanese refugees in the country.Many brave difficult conditions in Libya, migrants have told AFP, while others attempt the dangerous sea crossing in a bid to reach Europe.One of the deadliestThe IOM considers the central Mediterranean crossing one of the deadliest migrant routes in the world.In 2024, 2,573 people trying to reach Europe died in the Mediterranean Sea, it said.&nbsp;

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Scores of Sudanese refugees died or went missing after two boat disasters near Libya’s Tobruk port last weekend—one capsized with 74 aboard, the other caught fire with 75 on board, killing dozens.

Articles tagged with "Mediterranean Sea"

21 Bangladeshis rescued after deadly Mediterranean migrant ordeal

Scores of Sudanese refugees dead or missing in Libya boat wrecks