We were fired upon leaving Libya, say migrants
14 Oct 2013 10:35 PM IST
A Syrian man who would not give his name told a small group of reporters that the boat they were on was chased by another as soon as it left Libya and that ‘shots were fired’ toward them. He did not want to be identified for fear of reprisals against family members still in Syria.
The U.N. Refugee Agency says three were injured in the shooting, citing migrant accounts. The rickety boat packed with as many as 400 migrants by some survivor accounts - mostly people fleeing civil war in Syria - capsized 65 miles south of the Italian island of Lampedusa on Friday. At least 34 died, while 202 survivors were taken to Malta and Sicily. Search operations continued Sunday.
It was not clear who was behind the shooting. But the account highlights that refugees fleeing war and repression in Africa and the Middle East face many dangers even before they hit the open
waters of the Mediterranean, where hundreds have died in a string of shipwrecks over the last 10 days.
Many make their way by land to Libya where they pay smugglers to ferry them to Europe's nearest shores - Lampedusa or the island nation of Malta. Libya has been riven by turmoil and has been struggling with militias since the ouster of dictator Muammar Gaddafi. On Sunday, Maltese PM Joseph Muscat, made an unannounced visit in Tripoli to discuss the refugee flow with Libya's Prime Minister, Ali Zidan.
The U.N. Refugee Agency says three were injured in the shooting, citing migrant accounts. The rickety boat packed with as many as 400 migrants by some survivor accounts - mostly people fleeing civil war in Syria - capsized 65 miles south of the Italian island of Lampedusa on Friday. At least 34 died, while 202 survivors were taken to Malta and Sicily. Search operations continued Sunday.
It was not clear who was behind the shooting. But the account highlights that refugees fleeing war and repression in Africa and the Middle East face many dangers even before they hit the open
waters of the Mediterranean, where hundreds have died in a string of shipwrecks over the last 10 days.
Many make their way by land to Libya where they pay smugglers to ferry them to Europe's nearest shores - Lampedusa or the island nation of Malta. Libya has been riven by turmoil and has been struggling with militias since the ouster of dictator Muammar Gaddafi. On Sunday, Maltese PM Joseph Muscat, made an unannounced visit in Tripoli to discuss the refugee flow with Libya's Prime Minister, Ali Zidan.
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