IOM Calls for Coordinated Response to Danger to Thousands of Stranded Migrants in Libya.

Geneva, 17 February 2015(Lana) The International Organisation for Migration has urged world governments 'to act swiftly to face the growing threat to thousands of immigrants stranded in Libya.' 'As violence escalates in Libya, Over 1,600 have been rescued from unseaworthy boats on the Mediterranean Sea since Friday, IOM said. 'This is a clear signal that the situation in Libya is unravelling. We also know this from the fact that Italy and several other nations have already evacuated their citizens from the country," IOM said in a statement on Monday.' IOM staffers in Sicily and the island of Lampedusa are preparing this week to help the Italian authorities to care for the latest victims of criminal Libyan trafficking gangs, who reportedly sent at least a dozen unseaworthy inflatable vessels into a stormy Mediterranean starting last Tuesday, the statement added. An approximately 1,650 survivors have been able to safely reach Italian shores, after being rescued and brought to the ports of Lampedusa, Augusta, Pozzallo, Porto Empedocle and Trapani, it said. It said 'Libya's deepening chaos raises the stakes for Italy and all of Europe as officials across the continent debate the future of the European Union (EU)'s border control policies. =Lana=