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              At Least 200 Migrants Die on Mediterranean Crossing

   by VOA News

   At least 200 migrants died after trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea
   in inflatable boats, the United Nations refugee agency said Wednesday.

   Nine people who had been on two boats were rescued and reached the
   Italian island of Lampedusa, but a third boat was unaccounted for,
   according to UNHCR spokeswoman Carlotta Sami.

   The boats left Libya on Saturday attempting to reach Italy. Lampedusa
   is about 110 kilometers from the African mainland and a major
   destination for illegal migrants trying to get to Europe.

   Earlier this week, 29 people died of hypothermia while trying to make
   the same trip.

   A record 170,000 migrants crossed the Mediterranean Sea into Europe in
   2014, one quarter of them fleeing the violence in Syria. More than
   3,000 others died attempting the journey.

   Experts say the volume of immigration in 2015 already looks to be
   outpacing last year.
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   [1]http://www.voanews.com/content/at-least-200-migrants-dies-mediterran
   ean-crossing/2638428.html

References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/at-least-200-migrants-dies-mediterranean-crossing/2638428.html