As the European Union continues its rescue operations in the Mediterranean, as well as its fight against traffickers who put migrants in danger, more deaths are still being recorded in the Mediterranean sea among migrants who seek greener pastures in Europe.

Record have shown that since the start of January, 240 have arrived in Italy, compared with nine during the first month of 2017.

More than 90 migrants were feared dead after their boat capsized off the Libyan coast on Friday, the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) reported.

Only two of the passengers were able to swim ashore, while one person was saved by fishermen, IOM spokeswoman Olivia Headon in Tunis told Geneva-based reporters via telephone.

The latest incident came less than a week after a dinghy carrying around 130 people capsized in the Mediterranean on Saturday night, leaving up to 40 people dead.

“Every life lost at sea is one life too many,” EU foreign policy spokeswoman Catherine Ray said in Brussels on Friday.

Meanwhle, the Nigeria’s Federal government evacuation of stranded Nigerians from Libya has been described as a huge success by the South-South Zonal Coordinator, National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Mr Martins Ejike.

Ejike, who boasted of the feat on the arrival of the fourth batch of 465 Nigerian returnees from Libya in Port Harcourt, said although there were some challenges in the process, it was nevertheless a huge success.