The Libyan Red Crescent reported on Tuesday that at least 18 migrants lost their lives and more than 90 others were rescued after their boat overturned off the country’s western coast near Tripoli.
According to the Red Crescent branch in Sabratha, a coastal city about 76 kilometers (47 miles) west of the capital, emergency teams launched a rescue mission late Monday after receiving reports of a capsized vessel. The operation continued into the early hours of Tuesday.
The bodies of the deceased were recovered along the shoreline near the port city of Surman, the organization said. Photographs released by the Sabratha branch showed volunteers moving the victims’ bodies into white body bags while other responders administered first aid to survivors.
This latest tragedy adds to a growing number of migrant deaths along Libya’s coastline. Earlier in October, medical officials reported that at least 61 bodies were retrieved over a two-week span in areas between Zuwara and Ras Ijdir, near the Tunisian border.
Libya has long served as a primary departure point for migrants attempting perilous sea crossings to Europe. Since the 2011 overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi, the country’s persistent instability has fueled human trafficking networks and made the Mediterranean one of the world’s deadliest migration routes.
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Source:Africa Publicity
