The International Organization for Migration (IOM) said that the vessel had left Africa with at least 700 migrants on board.
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Frederico Soda, who heads International Organisation for Migration’s Mediterranean office in Rome, said the increase in those making the deadly crossing was due “in part, to better weather, and in part to the use of bigger wooden boats that can carry more people than the rubber boats” used past year. Four nearby ships were participating in the rescue operation, while two Greek patrol boats and two helicopters were on their way.
More than 100 bodies are recovered near Zuwarah in latest disaster involving refugees trying to reach Europe, navy says.
So far this year more than 40,000 migrants have crossed the Mediterranean Sea from North Africa to Italy by paying people smugglers for the journey.
Greek and Egyptian authorities also rescued over 300 migrants off the coast of Crete during this week and found 9 others dead.
David Cameron announced last week that Britain would send a warship to the Mediterranean to combat people smuggling as European Union and Libyan naval operations continue.
Under that deal, those arriving on Greek islands from March 20 onwards face deportation back to Turkey unless they successfully apply for asylum in Greece, a financially troubled country few migrants or refugees want to stay in.
It is not immediately clear where the boat came from or the nationalities of passengers on board.
The agreement has led to a dramatic decrease in the number of people crossing.
Five commercial ships, two Coast Guard vessels and a Greek Air Force plane were helping in the rescue effort off Crete.
In a separate incident the Italian Red Cross said 117 migrants had died when their dinghy sank near Zuara off the coast of Libya.
Before the deal, thousands were arriving each day but on one day last week just 164 people were rescued from the sea near Lesbos.
The Foreign Ministry is coordinating efforts with the Greek and Libyan authorities to speed up rescue and search operations launched after a boat capsized between Egypt and Greece, Spokesman Ahmed Abu Zeid said on Friday.
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“The migrants are usually African nationalities but there are also Arabs among them, including Moroccans”, the Colonel said criticizing the global community for just morning and giving numbers of victims without doing more, AFP reports.
