Guardian: Dozens feared dead as migrant boat capsizes in Mediterranean

“The boat may be the same sinking vessel that was detected earlier in the day by Alarm Phone, a group of Europe-based activists who take calls from stricken asylum seekers and refer their coordinates to coastguards.

Alarm Phone took a call at 8.45am CET from a boat of refugees in waters north of Zuwara, reporting that a second boat was sinking nearby, though the group said: “It is difficult for us to know for sure that this is the same shipwreck.” Nevertheless, the group believes those they spoke to were Syrian – the first sign since the start of the EU-Turkey deal that Syrians are beginning to use Libya as springboard to Europe.

An activist with Alarm Phone said: “The guy we were speaking to was Syrian, and he said that most of the people on the boat were Syrians and Iraqis. The people around him were talking in a Syrian dialect, mostly north-eastern Syria. Additionally, we are monitoring Facebook pages in Arabic and we are witnessing lately that there are a lot of people arriving in Libya and willing to go to Europe.””

External Link: Guardian: Dozens feared dead as migrant boat capsizes in Mediterranean

Alarmphone on X

🆘 in the Central Med! We are in contact with ~45 people who fled from #Benghazi, #Libya. After 4 days at sea they've no food or water left & need urgent assistance. We don't have their exact GPS position & ask authorities to locate them and launch a SAR operation immediately!

🆘 ~40 people in distress off #Libya!

We alerted authorities to this group in distress. The people report that their boat is taking in water and ask urgently for rescue!

🆘️ from 11 people near Prisadets, at the border of #Bulgaria and #Türkiye!

The people, who have children among the group, say they have been attacked by dogs. They fear for their safety and are asking for urgent help. Authorities are informed!

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