Alarm Phone revealed that up to 60 people were killed after a boat fire off the Libyan coast. The tragedy unfolded off the Libyan coast on Thursday, 18 March 2021.
Alarm Phone said a grey wooden boat with more than 100 people on board called them after the engine caught fire. Alarm Phone alerted relevant authorities as well as the Ocean Viking and requested an immediate search for the boat in distress. The rescue vessel Ocean Viking started a search operation. Unfortunately, the people in distress were at first unable to provide an accurate GPS position.
The Libyan authorities later reported that the boat was found and that 45 people had been rescued while five bodies were retrieved. The Libyan authorities mention no further deaths. However, several survivors reported to Alarm Phone that there had been more victims than survivors. According to the testimonies it collected, about 45 people were rescued by fishermen but about 60 people are still missing and presumed dead.
File Photo by EPA/ALESSANDRO DI MEO
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