The number of migrants who have died trying to cross the Mediterranean has surpassed 5,000 and has reached a new annual record, UN organizations said Friday. Last year, 3,771 had lost their lives as they tried to reach Southern Europe by sea, according to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR). According to dpa, around 100 people are feared to have drowned Thursday when rubber boats collapsed in two separate incidents, according to the Italian coastguard. "It's rough sea and winter weather. So when [a boat] capsizes, there is not much time to survive," said John Millman, spokesman of the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
