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25th May 2017

More than 30 migrants, mostly toddlers, have drowned off the coast of Libya

Laura Holland

Just awful.

More than 30 people have drowned in the sea off the coast of Libya after they fell from the over-crowded boat they were travelling in. They were on their way to Europe when they fell from the boat before they could reach the rescue vessels that were waiting for them.

More than 200 people without life jackets were thrown into the water and so far 31 of them have been found dead.

Chris Catrambone, who founded MOAS, a foundation dedicated to preventing loss of life to refugees and migrants in distress at sea, was reporting live from the scene on Twitter and compared it to a ‘horror movie’.

He also confirmed that most of the 30 who had died were toddlers. He added, “Real life tragedy unfolding on Europe’s doorstep today!”