73 Migrants Missing After Boat Wrecks Off Libya Coast

Bir bakışta

• 73 people are missing and presumed dead after an inflatable rubber boat carrying migrants wrecked off the coast of Libya.
• 11 bodies have been retrieved, including one woman and 10 men, while seven migrants, all men, survived.
• The boat departed from the village of Qasr al-Akhyar, 80 kilometers (50 miles) east of the capital, Tripoli.
• 130 migrants have died this year and 1,450 in 2022.
• European countries have pushed Libyan authorities and the coast guard to detain and intercept migrants attempting to cross to European shores.

Ayrıntılar

A tragedy has unfolded off the coast of Libya, as an inflatable rubber boat carrying migrants wrecked and 73 people are now missing and presumed dead.

Retrieved Bodies

Libya authorities have retrieved 11 bodies, including one woman and 10 men, while seven migrants, all men, survived the mishap and made it to Libyan shores.

Departure Point

The boat was packed with around 80 migrants and departed from the village of Qasr al-Akhyar, 80 kilometers (50 miles) east of the capital, Tripoli.

Deaths and Interceptions

This is the latest in a series of tragedies on the central Mediterranean Sea route, with 130 migrants having died this year and 1,450 in 2022. 529 migrants were reported dead and 848 others missing last year off Libya’s shores.

European countries have pushed Libyan authorities and the coast guard to detain and intercept migrants attempting to cross to European shores. Over 24,680 migrants were intercepted and returned to Libya last year, many of whom were held in government-run detention centers where they suffer from abuse, including torture, rape and extortion.

Human traffickers have benefited from the chaos in war-torn Libya.