6 migrants die in Mediterranean

ROME

A boat carrying irregular migrants split in half off the coast of Libya in the Mediterranean on Wednesday, leaving six dead including a toddler.

Open Arms, a Spanish non-governmental organization, said they launched a rescue operation when a boat with migrants on board was about to sink 30 miles (48 kilometers) offshore of Libya’s ancient city of Sabratha.

The boat split in two as the operation was ongoing and the migrants fell into the sea. The rescue crew was able to save 110 of the migrants, but a five-month-old baby along with five others died.

The Italian Coast Guard Command issued a statement on the incident, confirming that the boat was spotted by a patrol plane of the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex), and an Open Arms ship initiated a rescue operation.

The statement added that four of the migrants in critical condition would be evacuated from the Open Arms ship.

*Writing by Ali Murat Alhas