8 migrants dead, 86 rescued from sinking boat off Libya
ROME — At least eight migrants died and 86 others were rescued Saturday from a smugglers’ rubber dinghy after it starting sinking in the Mediterranean Sea off Libya, the Italian coast guard said. A search was ongoing to find any more possible survivors.
An aid group not involved in the rescue said dozens of migrants could still be missing. The coast guard said there was no confirmation of Libyan authorities’ statement that at least 25 migrants had died.
The Italian coast guard, which co-ordinates rescues in international waters off Libya’s coast, said an aircraft on patrol for a European anti-smuggling operation had spotted the dinghy, which was in difficulty Saturday morning. Italian navy and coast guard vessels were involved in the rescue.
Coast guard Cmdr. Sergio Liardo told Italian state TV RaiNews24 that “it appears the dinghy deflated” after a puncture. When rescuers arrived in the early afternoon, some 20 migrants were still in the dinghy while others were in the water.