A rubber boat carrying dozens of Europe-bound migrants sank off the coast of Libya and at least 55 people drowned, including women and children, the UN migration agency said Wednesday. It was the latest tragedy in this part of the Mediterranean Sea, a key route for migrants.
The International Organisation for Migration said the disaster took place on Tuesday. The boat was carrying at least 60 migrants and had set off from the coastal town of Garabouli, east of Libya’s capital, Tripoli.
The agency said five migrants survived the shipwreck and were brought back to shore by the Libyan coast guard. It was not immediately clear what happened to the vessel.
Safa Msehli, an IOM spokeswoman, said the boat capsized a short while after leaving Garabouli. She said the Libyan coast guard has so far retrieved the bodies of nine men and a child.
The five survivors include four men, three Pakistanis and one Egyptian and a Syrian child, Msehli said.
The incident was the latest tragedy in the central Mediterranean, a key route for migrants. The IOM said at least 537 people have drowned or gone missing in migrant disasters in the Mediterranean off Libya so far this year, while over 4,300 have been intercepted and returned to shore.
‼️ Another shipwreck off #Libya, yesterday, claimed 55 lives, according to five survivors brought to shore.
This follows a series of horrific shipwrecks across the central Mediterranean in past days.
This carnage at sea must end. States must fulfill their duties to save lives.
— Safa Msehli (@msehlisafa) April 26, 2023