The International Organization for Migration (IOM) announced on Friday the discovery of at least 65 migrants’ bodies in a mass grave in Southwest Libya.
The circumstance of their death and nationalities remains unknown, but it is believed that they died in the process of being smuggled through the desert, according to IOM.
“Each report of a missing migrant or a loss of life represents a grieving family searching for answers about their loved ones or acknowledging the tragedy of the loss,” said an IOM Spokesperson.
“The cost of inadequate action is evident in the increasing human deaths and the disturbing conditions migrants find themselves in.”
This latest tragedy highlights the urgent need to address the challenges of irregular migration including through a coordinated response to the smuggling of migrants and trafficking in persons. Without regular pathways that provide opportunities for legal migration, such tragedies will continue to be a feature along this route, IOM said in a statement.
IOM said it appreciates that the Libyan authorities are investigating these deaths and calls on them together with UN partner agencies to ensure a dignified recovery, identification and transfer of the remains of the deceased migrants, and appropriately notifying and assisting their families.
According to the Missing Migrants Project, at least 3,129 deaths and disappearances have been recorded in 2023 along the Mediterranean route – the deadliest migratory route, not including this latest incident.