Migrants rescued from a smuggler's boat that capsized off the coast
of Libya earlier in the week said the boat had capsized because of
the bad weather and because of those on board panicking at seeing
the boat leaking water.

An IOM staff member, who went together with counterparts from
the UN's refugee agency and the NGO IOPCR to assess a small group
of rescued migrants at a centre in Tripoli, was told by the
survivors that the smuggler, an Egyptian national, had died.

According to the migrants, many of whom have kidney problems
after drinking sea water, their boat had left Janzour, 15 kms west
of Tripoli, at 0500 on Monday (30 March) Three hours later, the
boat capsized.

The migrants said they had survived because they had stayed at
the back of the boat, the only part to have stayed afloat. They
were rescued at 1600 by Libyan coastguards.

The migrants claimed that of the 257 people on board, there were
70 women and two children. They are all reported to have died
except one of the women who is now currently in hospital receiving
treatment.

IOM's Michele Bombassei said the physical condition of the 20
migrants, of North and West African origin, and now being hosted at
the centre, was largely okay except for the problems caused by
drinking sea water. An IOM doctor is being sent to the centre with
appropriate medication.

With only just over 20 people having survived the tragedy, more
than 230 people are missing, feared dead.

A second boat carrying 357 migrants was towed safely back to
Tripoli.

For further information, please contact:

Michele Bombassei

IOM Tripoli

Tel: + 218 92 74 05 371

E-mail: "mailto:mbombassei@iom.int">mbombassei@iom.int

or

Jean Philippe Chauzy

IOM Geneva

Tel:+ 41 79 285 4366

E-mail: "mailto:pchauzy@iom.int">pchauzy@iom.int

or

Jemini Pandya

IOM Geneva

Tel: + 41 79 217 3374

E-mail: "mailto:jpandya@iom.int">jpandya@iom.int