41 migrants feared dead in Mediterranean

At least 41 migrants are feared dead following a weekend shipwreck on the Mediterranean Sea route from Libya to Italy, two United Nations agencies said yesterday. They were among the 120 passengers of a dinghy that left Libya on February 18, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said. The dinghy started taking in water after about 15 hours at sea, and eight people died before a merchant vessel came to help, a joint statement by the groups said.