The United Nations said Wednesday that only seven people have been found alive after a shipwreck off the coast of Libya. The shipwreck is thought to have killed dozens of people.
The U.N.’s International Organization for Migration said that at least 73 migrants are missing and likely dead after a shipwreck off the coast of Libya on Tuesday.
The boat carrying 80 people had left Qasr Al-Akhyar, which is about 46 miles east of the capital, Tripoli, and was headed to Europe. IOM said that the Libyan Red Crescent and local police have found 11 bodies so far.
And the U.N. migration agency said that –
“seven survivors who made it back to Libyan shores in extremely dire conditions are currently in the hospital.”
The central Mediterranean is still the most dangerous place for migrants to cross at sea. IOM said that with this latest tragedy, 130 people have died there since the start of this year.
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In the past few years, Libya has become the most popular place for people from Africa and the Middle East to stop on their way to Europe. The oil-rich country fell into chaos after Muammar Qaddafi was overthrown and killed by an uprising backed by NATO in 2011.
Rescue groups said in 2021 that more than 100 migrants heading to Europe were thought to have died in a single shipwreck off the coast of Libya in the Mediterranean.
The Missing Migrants Project of the United Nations says that more than 1,450 migrants died on that route in 2022. Since 2014, there have been more than 17,000 deaths and disappearances there. IOM said –
“This situation is intolerable.”
‘”Concrete action by states is needed to increase search and rescue capacity, establish clear and safe disembarkation mechanisms as well as safe and regular pathways to migration to reduce dangerous journeys.”
IOM says that since 2014, more than 25,000 migrants have been found dead or gone missing in the Mediterranean region.
