Up to 500 feared dead in Mediterranean shipwreck last week

April 21, 2016 04:09

As many as 500 people are feared dead after a shipwreck last week in the Mediterranean Sea, two international groups said today, describing survivors' accounts of panicked passengers who desperately tried to stay

afloat by jumping between vessels.

The disaster happened in waters between Italy and Libya, based on accounts from 41 survivors who were rescued Saturday by a merchant ship, according to the UN refugee agency and the International Organization for Migration.

The tragedy ranks among the deadliest in recent years on the often-treacherous sea voyage along the central Mediterranean by refugees and migrants from Africa, the Middle East and beyond who have traveled in droves hoping to reach relatively peaceful and wealthy Europe.

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