61 migrants presumed dead after boat capsizes off Libya coast

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: News websites
17 Dec 2023 11:48

Survivors say that there were around 86 migrants aboard the ill-fated boat, as 25 people had been rescued and taken to a Libyan detention center but were all in good condition.

Nigerian migrants await processing during a deportation operation by the Tripoli-based government on December 12, 2023. (AFP)

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) stated on Sunday that 61 migrants are missing and are presumed dead after their boat capsized off Libya’s coast.

The organization's Libya office released a statement saying that a “large number of migrants” are believed to have perished as a result of high waves that are thought to have capsized their boat after departing Zuwara, on Libya’s northwest coast.

Survivors say that there were around 86 migrants aboard the ill-fated boat, as 25 people have been rescued and taken to a Libyan detention center but were all in good condition.

The IOM added that most of the victims were from Nigeria, the Gambia, and other African countries, the IOM office said, adding that its team was dispatched and “provided medical support”.

IOM spokesperson Flavio Di Giacomo posted on X that over 2,250 people died so far this year on the Mediterranean migrant route, noting that it is a “dramatic figure which demonstrates that unfortunately not enough is being done to save lives at sea”.

Back in June, the Adriana, a fishing boat with 750 people leaving from Libya to Italy, capsized off southwest Greece and according to survivors, the ship had mainly Syrians, Pakistanis and Egyptians. 104 survived and 82 bodies were recovered.

Triple deaths over mere months

Migrants trying to reach European shores regularly use Tunisia and Libya as key departure points, often using damaged vessels.

The central Mediterranean is the most dangerous migratory route in the world, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

Last year, Libya's authorities arrested 542 people attempting to illegally migrate from its shores to Europe in inflatable boats; most were from Bangladesh, according to an AFP photographer.

Libya has become a transit point for illegal migrants who head to Europe ever since the NATO-backed uprising that toppled and killed President Muammar Gaddafi and the start of the civil war in 2011.

In the latest updates, the United Nations has reported back in September a tragic escalation in the number of migrants bound for Europe who have perished or gone missing in the Mediterranean this summer, revealing that it has tragically transformed into what UNICEF describes as a "cemetery," especially for children.

Between June and August, the Mediterranean claimed the lives of at least 990 individuals or left them unaccounted for while attempting the perilous journey from North Africa to Europe. In stark contrast, the same months in 2022 saw 334 deaths, according to UNICEF, the United Nations Children's Fund.