Three sisters drown in migrant boat in Mediterranean, rescuers say

[ad_1] Three younger sisters have drowned in a rubber boat carrying migrants within the central Mediterranean after waves of as much as 1.5m (4.9 ft) repeatedly washed over the vessel, a German rescue charity has stated.

About 65 folks have been rescued, together with the sisters' mom and brother, in addition to three pregnant ladies and a seven-month-old child, RESQSHIP added.

The "dangerously overcrowded" rubber boat had departed from Libya's Zuwara metropolis and "began taking up growing quantities of water" a couple of hours later, the charity stated.

Libya is a significant launching pad for migrants who make the treacherous journey throughout the Mediterranean, hoping to achieve the Italian island of Lampedusa.

The sisters who drowned have been aged 9, 11 and 17 years, RESQSHIP stated in an announcement.

Recalling how their our bodies have been found early on Saturday, Barbara Sartore, the charity's communications coordinator onboard the rescue ship Nadir, stated that whereas survivors have been being evacuated one after the other, she heard "screams and somebody pointed to the water contained in the boat".

"It grew to become clear that there have been our bodies beneath the floor," Ms Sartore stated.

"The boat was dangerously overcrowded, it was pitch-dark, water was flooding in, folks have been panicking. In that chaos, it was not possible to see that the three sisters, sitting deep contained in the boat, had already drowned. When the survivors realised, it was sheer horror," she added.

RESQSHIP stated that lots of the survivors suffered extreme chemical burns attributable to the combination of seawater and petrol contained in the boat, and required medical therapy.

One one that had earlier fallen overboard was nonetheless lacking, the charity added.

Italy's coastguard evacuated 14 folks on Saturday afternoon and took them to Lampedusa, whereas the rescue ship arrived later with the remainder of the survivors and the our bodies of the ladies.

"What occurred to the three sisters is unimaginable, as is the hazard that folks on the transfer face in quest of security," stated Katja Schnitzer, a crewmember of the rescue boat.