200 MIGRANTS DROWN OFF LIBYA: UN

Geneva, June 22: More than 200 migrants are reported to have drowned off Libya in two days, bringing to at least 1,000 the number to die this year on the main migratory route linking Africa and Europe, the UN has said.

The UN High Commissioner for Refugees said in a statement it was “shocked” by the deaths and called for urgent action to reduce the continuing loss of life.

“UNHCR is dismayed by the ever- growing number of refugees and migrants losing their lives at sea and is calling for urgent international action to strengthen rescue at sea efforts by all relevant and capable actors, including NGOs and commercial vessels, throughout the Mediterranean. “At the same time, access to protection in countries of first asylum should be ensured, as well as alternative pathways for refugees in Libya trying to cross the sea in search of protection and safety. All these steps are crucial to ensure that no more lives are lost at sea,” it said. According to the UNHCR, around 220 migrants drowned on Tuesday and Wednesday in three separate tragedies.