Italian police arrest suspected facilitators of migrant trips

Italian police have arrested 16 people suspected of being the organisers of the frequent illegal trips to Italy through Libya by sea.

The suspects are of different nationalities. Among those arrested is Mohammad Diallo from Gambia, suspected of being the main organiser.

Close to 700 migrants were rescued last week in the Mediterranean as they attempted to cross over to Italy.

An untold number of victims are feared drowned.

Some migrants have told police that they had to spend between 500 and 1000 US dollars to embark on the journey even without life jackets.

The migrants have also complained about how they spent 45 days in a camp located between the cities of Sabratha and Zouwarah, the west of Libya, where they were fed only once a day.

According to latest estimates from the International Organisation for Migration, nearly 320, 000 migrants arrived in Italian shores between 2014 and 2015 and an estimated 7000 died as they sought to reach Europe.

The organisation puts the number of Mediterranean deaths at sea this year at close to 1500.

Reuters