More than 100 migrants die in Libya to Italy weekend shipwrecks

An adolescent migrant uses his mobile phone at an immigration centre in the Sicilian town of Caltagirone, Italy April 20, 2016. REUTERS/Tony Gentile

GENEVA (Reuters) - An estimated 113 people died in four shipwrecks between Libya and Italy at the weekend as the crossing becomes the preferred sea route for migrants to Europe, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said on Tuesday.

With the closing of land routes in the Balkans and a recent deal under which Greece sends migrants back to Turkey, Italian officials have said they expect more people to try to make this longer and much more dangerous crossing from Libya.