In the latest mass migrant death in the Mediterranean Sea, a boat from Libya with 600-700 migrants capsized just as rescue boats were approaching. Apparently, the migrants became excited by the approaching rescue inflatable boats and all crowded on one side of their ship, causing it to capsize and sink within a couple of minutes. Most of the deaths were of people who were in the cabin below deck. Traffickers charge migrants a lower "below deck" fare than they charge migrants to remain on deck. However, traveling below deck in a massively overcrowded boat brings a much higher risk of death. Migrants are crossing the Mediterranean in massive numbers this summer. In a single weekend in June, Italian authorities rescued 5,800 migrants. The total number to have arrived by boat from Libya into Italy and France is over 100,000 so far this year.
