16 migrants feared dead as boat capsizes off Libyan coast

By Heysel el-Mahzi

BIN GIRDAN, Tunisia

Sixteen Tunisian migrants are feared dead after a boat with nearly 30 people on board capsized off the Libyan coast Saturday, a local source said.

“The boat carrying 28 Tunisian migrants left the Libyan port city of Sabratha heading for Italy capsized half an hour after sailing. Only 12 people managed to reach the shores,” activist Mustafa Abdulkarim told Anadolu Agency.

The fate of 16 others also remain unknown, he added.

Thousands of migrants and refugees attempting to flee wars and harsh economic conditions often to do make the perilous journey to European shores.

According to the International Organization for Migration, during the first half of 2016 as many as 210,643 refugees and migrants managed to reach Europe while 2,859 others drowned in the Mediterranean Sea.

*Anadolu Agency correspondent Ahmet Sait Akcay contributed to the report from Ankara