{"id":1341,"date":"2018-01-12T05:21:00","date_gmt":"2018-01-12T05:21:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/subsaharanafricablog\/?p=1341"},"modified":"2018-01-12T05:21:00","modified_gmt":"2018-01-12T05:21:00","slug":"libya-rescues-279-migrants-at-sea-but-100-more-are-feared-dead","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/subsaharanafricablog\/2018\/01\/12\/libya-rescues-279-migrants-at-sea-but-100-more-are-feared-dead\/","title":{"rendered":"Libya Rescues 279 Migrants at Sea, but 100 More Are Feared Dead"},"content":{"rendered":"
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TRIPOLI, Libya \u2014 The Libyan Navy said on Wednesday that its Coast Guard had rescued at least 279 migrants off the coast of Libya, but that about 100 more were missing and feared dead.<\/p>\n

The migrants, mostly Africans, had been packed into several vessels hoping to cross the Mediterranean and reach southern Europe. The missing appeared to have all been in the same dinghy, whose remnants were found near the city of Khoms, the navy said.<\/p>\n

Search-and-rescue efforts continued for more than 12 hours in rough conditions, the navy said. All of the survivors, including 19 women and 17 children, were taken to a naval base in the capital, Tripoli, and were later handed over to Libya\u2019s anti-migration authority.<\/p>\n

The United Nations migration agency estimates that more than 3,100 migrants died while trying to cross the Mediterranean in 2017, a number attributed to smugglers\u2019 use of small dinghies and other poor-quality vessels.<\/p>\n

Libya descended into chaos after the 2011 uprising that toppled and killed the longtime dictator Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi. The country has since become part of a common route to Europe for those fleeing poverty and conflict.<\/p>\n