UN refugee agency fears over 200 deaths following shipwrecks off Libyan caost

The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) is "deeply alarmed" at reports of at least two shipwrecks off the Libyan coast, fearing that more than 200 people could be killed in the incident, deputy UN spokesman Farhan Haq said here Friday.

Five floating bodies and two partially submerged rubber dinghies were reportedly discovered about 14 miles (some 22.5 kilometers) off the Libyan coast on Thursday, Haq said at a daily news briefing here. "UNHCR fears the death toll could be well over 200 people given the capacity of the sunken vessels."

"The incident comes after an intense week of arrivals via the Central Mediterranean route, with almost 6,000 migrants and refugees rescued in just five days this week," he said.

At least 240 lives had likely been lost in the shipwrecks off the Libyan coast, reports said earlier Friday, adding that the estimate came after the five bodies of African migrants were found floating near two capsized boats, which can each hold more than 120 people.

A Libyan court on Friday meanwhile blocked an agreement between Libya and Italy aiming to halt the flow of migrants from the North African country, the reports said.

source: Xinhua