At least four migrants have died after two boats carrying nearly 100 people capsized off the coast of Al Khums, a port city east of Tripoli, the Libyan Red Crescent reported on Saturday. The incidents mark the latest in a series of deadly maritime disasters involving migrants attempting to cross the central Mediterranean.
According to the Red Crescent’s statement, the first vessel was carrying 26 migrants from Bangladesh. Four passengers died when the boat overturned, while survivors were brought ashore for medical assistance. The second vessel, carrying 69 migrants — including two Egyptians and a large number of Sudanese nationals — also capsized. The Red Crescent did not provide an immediate update on casualties or survivors from that group, but rescue teams continued to search the area.
The Libyan Coast Guard and the Khums Port Security Agency assisted in the operation, recovering bodies and transporting survivors to safety. Photos released by the Red Crescent showed rows of bodies sealed in black bags and rescuers administering first aid. Other images showed migrants wrapped in thermal blankets as emergency workers tended to them. The bodies recovered from both boats were transferred to local authorities under instructions from the city’s public prosecution.
The back-to-back incidents come amid a worsening trend of fatal crossings. Just one day earlier, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) announced that at least 42 migrants were missing and presumed dead after a rubber boat sank near the Al Buri oilfield, located offshore northwest of the Libyan coastline.
Libya has long served as a major launch point for migrants and asylum seekers fleeing war, repression, and economic crises in Africa and Asia. Since the fall of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, the country’s political instability and weak border control have allowed human smuggling networks to flourish, making the Mediterranean route one of the world’s deadliest migration corridors.
Authorities have documented a series of mass-casualty incidents in recent months. In mid-October, 61 bodies were recovered west of Tripoli, and in September, the IOM reported that at least 50 Sudanese migrants died after their vessel caught fire off Libya’s coast.
Growing international concern has also intensified scrutiny of conditions in Libyan detention facilities. At a recent U.N. review in Geneva, countries including Britain, Spain, Norway, and Sierra Leone urged Libya to shut down migrant detention centers where rights organizations allege systematic torture, abuse, and extrajudicial killings.
The latest tragedies underscore the escalating humanitarian crisis facing migrants who continue to risk the dangerous Mediterranean crossing in search of safety and stability in Europe.
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Source:Africa Publicity
