MILAN — Survivors say as many as 240 people have died in two shipwrecks off Libya, the U.N. refugee agency reported Thursday — bringing this year's toll to more than 4,220 migrants dead or missing in risky Mediterranean Sea crossings, the highest count on record.

Carlotta Sami, a UNHCR spokeswoman in Italy, said 31 survivors of two shipwrecks who arrived on the southern Italian island of Lampedusa reported that the rubber dinghies they were traveling in had capsized in heavy seas shortly after leaving Libya.

Sami said 29 people survived the first wreck, reporting that about 120 other people on their boat had gone missing. And in a separate operation, two women found swimming at sea told rescuers that another 120 people had died in their wreck.

In both cases, most people on board appeared to have been sub-Saharan Africans, but Sami said aid workers were still ascertaining details about the shipwrecks.

Leonard Doyle, a spokesman for the International Organization for Migration, said 12 bodies were recovered in one of the shipwrecks, located 25 miles off the Libyan coast.

UNHCR said the increased number of deaths this year is partly due to the fact that smugglers are often using rubber dinghies, which are prone to deflating and often see people fall overboard. In addition, more migrants are arriving with severe burns from being exposed to fuel mixed with sea water in the bottom of the dinghies. Smugglers are using rubber dinghies because they are cheaper and easier to obtain.

According to the IOM, 3,777 people were dead or missing in the Mediterranean last year, the previous high.

International agencies rely heavily on survivor accounts to tally the number of people dead or missing in the dangerous journey across the Mediterranean in smugglers' boats. Often the boats sink in high seas, where it is difficult if not impossible to recover any bodies. </s> CLOSE Hopes are fading for 44 people still missing more than a day after an overcrowded speedboat carrying Indonesian migrant workers capsized and sunk in rough seas, claiming at least 18 lives. Newslook

A handout frame video provided on Oct. 5, 2016 and released by the Italian Coast Guard shows migrants boarding a ship during a rescue operation conducted off the Italian coast near Lampedusa. (Photo: ITALIAN COAST GUARD / HANDOUT, EPA)

Hundreds of migrants are believed to have drowned after two boats sank off the coast of Libya, a United Nations official said Thursday.

Carlotta Sami, a spokeswoman for the U.N. refugee agency (UNHCR), said at least 239 people were dead, Reuters reported. She said two survivors who were taken ashore on the Italian island of Lampedusa told authorities that the rubber dinghies they were traveling in capsized Wednesday in heavy seas shortly after leaving Libya.

The first boat sank when wooden planks at the bottom broke, causing the dinghy to capsize 25 miles off the Libyan coast, the UNHCR said. Among the 140 people on board were six children and about 20 women, some pregnant. Twenty-nine people were rescued, and 12 bodies were recovered.

Two women found swimming at sea told rescuers that 128 other people had died in their wreck.

“I am deeply saddened by another tragedy on the high seas,” U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi said. “So many lives could be saved through more resettlement and legal pathways to protection. The Mediterranean is a deadly stretch of sea for refugees and migrants, yet they still see no other option but to risk their lives to cross it.”

Most people on board appeared to have been sub-Saharan Africans, the Associated Press reported.

The International Organization for Migration said 4,220 people have died so far this year trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea to reach Europe. Last month, UNHCR said more than 3,800 people were dead or missing in the Mediterranean in 2016, making it the highest figure ever.

The refugee crisis escalated in 2015 as more and more people fled regional conflicts and made the journey across the Mediterranean in hopes of a better life in Europe. Most refugees are from Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq. The vast majority of fatalities occur on the treacherous route between Libya and Italy, according to the Global Migration Data Analysis Center in Berlin.

Also Thursday, human rights organization Amnesty International said in a report that pressure on Italy from the European Union to “get tough” on migrants has led to incidents that may amount to torture.

Allegations made in the report against authorities include beatings, electric shocks and sexual humiliation.

“In their determination to reduce the onward movement of refugees and migrants to other member states, EU leaders have driven the Italian authorities to the limits – and beyond – of what is legal,” Matteo de Bellis, Amnesty International’s researcher on Italy, said in a statement.

“The result is that traumatized people, arriving in Italy after harrowing journeys, are being subjected to flawed assessments and in some instances appalling abuse at the hands of the police, as well as unlawful expulsions.”

The Italian authorities didn't immediately respond to the claims.

Contributing: The Associated Press

Read or Share this story: http://usat.ly/2fhYOFK </s> At least 97 African migrants are believed drowned after their boat sank in the Mediterranean Sea today.

The Libyan coast guard said 23 people were rescued, but most are still missing.

Spokesman Ayoub Gassim said 23 migrants were rescued around 6 miles off the Libyan coast after authorities received a distress call.

Fifteen women and five children are among those still missing.

He said the boat, which was packed with African nationals seeking a better life in Europe, ‘completely collapsed.’

Chaotic Libya has become a major avenue of migration, with thousands braving the dangerous sea crossing to Europe.

More than 4,500 migrants perished on the crossing in 2016 alone.

Smugglers use often rickety vessels to ferry thousands of migrants from the north African country to Europe each month. Mass drownings are common when the overloaded boats capsize or sink.

The German government on Thursday said it would support a ban on the export of boats from the European Union to Libya as part of measures to stem the flow of migrants across the Mediterranean. </s> CAIRO (AP) — The Libyan coast guard says 97 migrants are missing and believed drowned after their Europe-bound boat sank on a perilous crossing of the Mediterranean Sea.

Spokesman Ayoub Gassim says 23 migrants were rescued around 6 miles (10 kilometers) off the coast after authorities received a distress call Thursday morning.

Fifteen women and five children are among those still missing.

He says the boat, which was loaded with African nationals seeking a better life in Europe, "completely collapsed."

Chaotic Libya has become a major avenue of migration, with thousands braving the dangerous sea crossing to Europe. More than 4,500 migrants perished on the crossing in 2016 alone. </s> At least 97 people are missing and believed to have drowned after their Europe-bound boat sank in the Mediterranean Sea on Thursday, according to the Libyan coastguard.

Spokesman Ayoub Qassem said 23 migrants were rescued around 10 kilometres off the coast of Tripoli after authorities received a distress call. Fifteen women and five children are among those still missing.

The boat, which was packed with African nationals seeking asylum in Europe, "completely collapsed", he said.

The survivors, all men, were found clinging to a flotation device.

Those who had disappeared were "probably dead", Qassem said, adding that bad weather had prevented the recovery of their bodies.

Libya has become a key departure point for people risking their lives to cross the Mediterranean to Europe.

Hailing mainly from sub-Saharan countries, most of the asylum seekers board boats operated by people traffickers in the country's west, heading for the Italian island of Lampedusa 300 kilometres away.

READ MORE: IOM - African migrants traded in Libya's 'slave markets'

Since the beginning of this year, at least 590 people have died or gone missing along the Libyan coast, the International Organisation for Migration said in late March.

In 2016, more than 5,000 people lost their lives at sea - an annual record - as they undertook perilous journeys to escape war, poverty, and persecution. In 2015, at least 3,771 refugees died while crossing the Mediterranean, up from 3,279 deaths the year before.

More than 24,000 asylum seekers arrived in Italy from Libya during the first three months of the year, up from 18,000 in the same period last year, according to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees.

The German government on Thursday said it would support a ban on the export of boats from the European Union to Libya as part of measures to stem the flow of people across the Mediterranean.

In February, EU leaders inked a deal to give $215mn to Libya's fragile government to stop migrant boats in the country's territorial waters. </s> Ninety-seven migrants are missing and believed drowned after their Europe-bound boat sank on a crossing of the Mediterranean Sea, the Libyan coast guard has said.

Spokesman Ayoub Gassim said 23 migrants were rescued around six miles (10km) off the coast after authorities received a distress call on Thursday morning.

Fifteen women and five children are among those still missing.

He said the boat, which was loaded with African nationals, "completely collapsed".

Libya has become a major avenue of migration, with thousands braving the dangerous sea crossing to Europe. More than 4,500 migrants perished on the crossing in 2016 alone. </s> CAIRO — The Libyan coast guard says 97 migrants are missing and believed drowned after their Europe-bound boat sank on a perilous crossing of the Mediterranean Sea.

Spokesman Ayoub Gassim says 23 migrants were rescued around 6 miles (10 ) off the coast after authorities received a distress call Thursday morning.

Fifteen women and five children are among those still missing.

He says the boat, which was loaded with African nationals seeking a better life in Europe, "completely collapsed."

Chaotic Libya has become a major avenue of migration, with thousands braving the dangerous sea crossing to Europe. More than 4,500 migrants perished on the crossing in 2016 alone. </s> A boat packed with African nationals has sunk in the Mediterranean Sea, the Libyan coast guard said.

At least 97 migrants, including children, are believed to have drowned after their Europe-bound inflatable boat "completely collapsed," said spokesman Ayoub Gassim.

Gassim said 23 migrants were rescued around six miles (10 kilometers) off the Libyan coast after authorities received a distress call.

In February, the bodies of 74 drowned migrants washed ashore from the Mediterranean in Libya, as thousands tackle the dangerous sea crossing to Europe every year.

Smugglers use often unsafe boats to ferry thousands of migrants from the north African country to Europe each month. Mass drownings are common when the overloaded boats capsize or sink.

The German government said on Thursday that it would support a ban on the export of boats from the European Union to Libya as part of measures to stem the flow of migrants across the Mediterranean. </s> July 4 (UPI) -- More than 80 people are missing after a boat carrying migrants sunk off the coast of Tunisia late Wednesday.

Three Malians were rescued and a fourth migrant died later in a hospital. The inflatable boat, which capsized near the town of Zarzis, set out from Zuwara, Libya, where migrants often embark on dangerous journeys in hope of reaching Europe. More than 80 people are feared dead.

Fishermen who came across the sinking boat were unable to find more than four people.

The sinking came after an airstrike on a migrant center in Tripoli, Libya, killed at least 40 people. The Government of National Accord blamed the Libyan National Army for the attack as conflict with the United Nations-backed Libyan transition government continues. The country has seen persistent internal conflict, leading to the death of longtime leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.

A group of 131 refugees were evacuated out of Libya to Niger in June, the UN Refugee Agency said. In May, 65 migrants died when a boat sank off the coast of Tunisia.

A record number of people worldwide, 41.3 million, were displaced from their home countries because of conflict and violence as of the end of 2018, according to a report from the Norwegian Refugee Council.

In the first six months of this year, 555 migrants died trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea, following 924 deaths in 2018, according to the International Organization for Migration.
The United Nations believes that at least 239 migrants drowned in shipwrecks near the coast of Libya.