2009 Libya migrant shipwreck

Capsizing of a migrant boat off the coast of Libya A view of Tripoli from the Mediterranean Sea.|thumb|300px On 27 March 2009, at least one boat carrying migrants from Libya to Italy capsized. The boat is believed to have been carrying 250 migrants from Egypt, Tunisia, Palestine and Nigeria. A rescue attempt involving the Italian and Libyan navies rescued 21 survivors from the boat and retrieved 21 bodies. A further 77 bodies subsequently washed up on the shores of Libya before rescue efforts were called off. Two other boats also went missing between Libya and Italy, carrying around 250 more people between them. A fourth boat, carrying 350 people, was rescued by an Italian merchant ship on 29 March in the same area of sea. Boat confirmed sunk One vessel was confirmed by Libyan authorities to have capsized. It was a wooden fishing boat with a legal capacity of 50 persons and was attempting a crossing from Libya to Italy while carrying around 250 migrants.https://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gBPmB820xiTEALeAo7FbOU878sEgD9791P603 https://web.archive.org/web/20090403184947/http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gBPmB820xiTEALeAo7FbOU878sEgD9791P603 dead April 3, 2009 Hundreds feared drowned off Libya 2009-03-31 Associated Press 2009-03-31 The boat set off from Sidi Bilal, near Tripoli, where survivors have said that it was already in a poor condition and possibly holed.http://allafrica.com/stories/200904010412.html Nigeria: 200 Citizens, Other Africans Drown Off Libyan Coast 2009-04-01 Daily Independent of Lagos 2009-04-01 The vessel is thought to have capsized 30 mi off the Libyan coast on 27 March 2009 in high winds and seas. A search and rescue attempt was made on 29 March by the Libyan Navy, Italian Navy and local fishing boats, which recovered 21 people alive from the upturned boat and a further 23 bodies.http://www.themercury.co.za/index.php?fArticleId=4917716 Boat migrants' death toll rises 2009-04-02 The Mercury (South Africa) 2009-04-02 At least 10 Egyptians and 10 Gambians were among the dead, along with Tunisians, Palestinians and Nigerians.http://www.apanews.net/apa.php?page=show_article_eng&id_article=93643 Gambians reported to be among Libya boat disaster victims 2009-04-02 African Press Agency 2009-04-01September 2018 InternetArchiveBot yes Those rescued were returned to Tripoli and 17 were admitted to hospital for treatment. A further 77 bodies washed ashore on beaches to the west of Tripoli, including at Sebrata, on 31 March, the same day that search and rescue efforts were called off and the Libyan authorities made the news public.https://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gBPmB820xiTEALeAo7FbOU878sEgD979JNF00 Libya: More bodies of drowned migrants wash ashore 2009-04-01 Associated Press 2009-04-01June 2024 medicmedic The remaining passengers were listed as missing, presumed dead. thumb|300px|Location of the shipwreck Other boats A second boat, similar to the one that capsized and carrying another 350 people, was rescued by an Italian merchant ship in the same area of sea on 29 March after being spotted by a nearby oil platform. Two more similar boats arrived in Italy in subsequent weeks, and a further two remained missing, having left Libya but never arrived in Italy.http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/7973322.stm Hundreds feared drowned off Libya 2009-03-31 BBC 2009-03-31 Coastguards from the two countries continued to search for the latter two boats. The capsized boat and the two that went missing are thought to have carried at least 500 people, of whom 200 were Nigerian. The smuggling season normally runs from April to October but boats were sailing throughout the winter of 2008-9, which brings poor weather. Reaction Apart from the search attempts, the Italian and Libyan navies agreed to begin joint patrols of the area between the two countries from May 2009 in an attempt to halt the people smuggling operations. See also 2007 Malta migrant shipwreck 2011 Lampedusa migrant shipwreck 2013 Lampedusa migrant shipwreck References 33em 33.139851 N 12.713928 E title Migrant shipwreck Migrant shipwreck Category:Maritime incidents in 2009 Category:Maritime incidents in Libya Category:Migrant boat disasters in the Mediterranean Sea Category:March 2009 in Africa Category:March 2009 in Europe