Photo: AFP.
Rome: Six bodies were found and about 550 migrants were saved in search and rescue operations off the coast of Libya, the SOS Mediterranee charity and the Italian coastguard said.
"We did everything we could but unfortunately it was a tragic rescue and six people lost their lives," SOS Mediterranee search and rescue coordinator Mathias Menge said in a statement Tuesday.
His organization rescued 114 people, all from West Africa, and recovered five bodies in a Monday intervention about 30 kilometers from the Libyan coast.
A sixth victim drowned at sea but the body could not be taken on board; a 10-year-old boy from Cameroon was found unconscious and was airlifted to an hospital via helicopter, SOS Mediterranee said.
In a late Monday statement, the Italian coastguard said SOS Mediteranee's was one of five rescue operations that intercepted about 550 people.
"Today's tragedy highlights the dangers of crossing the Mediterranean Sea and the necessity to maintain a search and rescue capacity throughout the winter," Menge said.
According to the International Organization for Migration, a record 4,271 migrants died or went missing in the Mediterranean in the year to date.
