Medicines San Frontieres and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) say between 700 and 900 migrants, including Nigerians, drowned during boat mishaps at the Mediterranean Sea last week.
The agencies said the week was the busiest for migrant leaving leaving Libya to Italy in 2016. They said about 14,000 have been rescued since Monday.
“We will never know exact numbers,” Medecins San Frontieres said in a tweet after estimating that the number of deaths stood at 900. UNHCR says more than 700 had drowned.
The migrants often cannot swim or do not have protective gear.
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The arrivals, this week, included Eritreans, Sudanese, Nigerians and many other West Africans, according to the agencies, which said the boats that arrived this week possibly left from Sabratha in Libya.
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