TRAGEDY

Hundreds of Libyan Refugees Drown

Overcrowded ship capsizes at sea.

Libya’s immigrant population, already in crisis as workers try to flee chaos in the country, has been hit with another blow, as a ship carrying around 750 people sank off Tripoli Monday. The death toll is still unknown, as the ship was over capacity, but more than a dozen bodies have already been found in the water. Prior reports said the ship suddenly broke apart at sea. It’s only the latest in a string of catastrophes: An April wreck killed 250 passengers, while two boats with nearly 500 migrants between them simply disappeared after leaving Libya in the same month. The passengers are trying to reach Europe to seek asylum and refuge from fighting in Libya. While human-rights organizations have implored migrants not to board the ships, some report being forced aboard by armed Libyan guards.