A rescue operation on Wednesday managed to save more than 500 people — but as the number of those trying to reach Europe by sea starts to rise again, the number of drownings is also increasing.
This video released by the Italian navy on Thursday captured the moment when a boat packed with more than 500 people completely overturned in the middle of the Mediterranean the day before.
While an estimated five people died, in an operation that's been described as "miraculous," 550 of the boat's passengers were rescued from the water.
"It is a miracle," Flavio di Giacomo, a spokesman for the International Organization for Migration (IOM) told the Guardian. "You would expect them to save the people on the deck. But if they've saved 500 people, that means they've saved even the people who were inside. And that is very impressive."
Handout . / Reuters
Sea-Watch, a non-profit organization dedicated to rescuing migrants and refugees whose boats sink, blamed the deal between the European Union and Turkey for the resurgence in people attempting to cross from North Africa to Europe by sea.
"Aboard the boats are many Syrian and Iraqi people," the group wrote. "As we predicted, EU-Turkey-Deal is forcing the refugees to change their flight routes from Turkey to North Africa. We now see the result."
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