Thousands of people fleeing civil war in Syria and religious and sectarian conflict across the Mideast have risked their lives by crowding onto ships and boats leaving ports for Europe, reported The International Migrants Organization.
According to the International Organization for Migration's Rome office, there have been more than 2,700 migrants and refugees rescued in the past few days, The IOM's headquarters in Geneva said that recorded deaths on all routes to Europe have been down this year.
Five people die when a ship overturns in the Mediterranean as it was overcrowded carrying hundreds of migrants into a frightening roll as an Italian navy ship approached Wednesday.
Passengers rushed into the ship in such a wat that there was a shift in the weight and people began tumbling into the Mediterranean Sea.
As the ship was on its side, some of those in the water seemed to sense the danger and began to swim away. People still on board climbed to the starboard side, now the highest point.
The momentum was high and the ship capsized resulting the rest of the migrants fleeing the Mideast into the sea off the coast of Libya. Immediately the Italian crew threw life jackets and rings, reported the CNN News.
However, 562 migrants were rescued, five people died, the navy said. Many of the ships are heading toward Italy and the Italian navy has been involved in rescue operations on a regular basis.
Climatic conditions were moderate with water surface temperatures around 20 degrees Celsius (68 degrees Fahrenheit) and the water was calm, said the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
The IMO reported the statistics, in 2015, more than 3,700 migrants lost their lives while crossing the Mediterranean in attempts to reach Europe. And this year the toll is 1,370 - 24% lower than last year.
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