Hundreds of Libyan refugees feared dead after ship sinks off Libya

Tuesday May 10, 2011 08:05:20 AM, RIA Novosti

Moscow: Hundreds of Libyan refugees are feared dead after an overcrowded ship carrying some 600 people trying to flee Libya sank just outside of the port of Tripoli, world media reported Monday.

The unrest in the country, which began in mid-February, has already claimed thousands of lives, with Muammar Gaddafi's troops maintaining their combat capabilities despite NATO air strikes against them.

The UN's refugee agency said 16 bodies from the sunken boat, including two babies, had been found.

The boat was heading to Italy when it hit rocks and sank. Italian body guards managed to rescue many passengers.

NATO has denied earlier reports that it had left dozens of migrants to die aboard of another vessel.

The UN Security Council adopted a resolution imposing a no-fly zone over Libya March 17, paving the way for a military operation against embattled Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi which began two days later.

The command of the operation was shifted from a US-led international coalition to NATO in late March.

Public protests in the Middle East and North Africa have recently ousted regimes in Egypt and Tunisia, and led to a civil war in Libya, with protests continuing in Syria and Bahrain.

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Picture of the Day

Vice President Mohd. Hamid Ansari attended the inaugural ceremony of Tagore’s 150th birth anniversary, at Dhaka, Bangladesh on May 06, 2011. Prime Minister of Bangladesh Mrs. Sheikh Hasina, Minister of State for Information and Cultural affairs of Bangladesh Promod Mankin and Secretary of Cultural Affairs of Bangladesh Begum Suraya are also seen.

(Photo: Debatosh Sengupta)