Some 170 Migrants Missing in Two Mediterranean Incidents

The Sea-Watch rescue ship waits off the coast of Malta. A migration official said survivors have told rescuers that up to 117 migrants might have died when a rubber dinghy capsized in the Mediterranean Sea off Libya. Rene Rossignaud/AP Photo

An estimated 170 migrants have been lost in the Mediterranean in two incidents involving dinghies that left from Libya and Morocco, migrant organizations said on Jan. 19.

An Italian military plane on patrol spotted one dinghy sinking in rough waters on Jan. 18. The plane dropped two safety rafts into the water but had to leave due to a lack of fuel, Rear Adm. Fabio Agostini told TV channel RaiNews24.