Nearly 150 migrants drowned after a rubber boat they were traveling in sank recently in the Mediterranean Sea, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said March 29, Reuters reported. A 16-year-old from Gambia, who was rescued by a Spanish frigate and transferred to an Italian coast guard ship, was the sole survivor of the ill-fated voyage. The boat departed from Sabratha, Libya, according to the young man. Rescuers have picked up more than 1,100 migrants in the Mediterranean over the past two days, according to Italy’s coast guard. Almost 600 people have died attempting the perilous voyage across the sea so far in 2017, the IOM said. At least 5,000 people are estimated to have died while attempting the crossing last year, according to the U.N. refugee agency.
