At least 61 migrants are missing and presumed dead as their boat capsized off Libya’s coast, revealed the International Organization for Migration (IOM) on Saturday.
The incident, attributed to high waves, occurred after the vessel departed from Zuwara on Libya’s northwest coast, according to IOM’s Libya office. Survivors, including women and children from Nigeria, The Gambia, and other African countries, reported the presence of approximately 86 migrants.
The IOM stated that 25 individuals were rescued and transferred to a Libyan detention center, all reported to be in good condition with medical support from IOM staff. Libya and Tunisia remain primary departure points for migrants embarking on perilous sea voyages to Europe via Italy.
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This year alone, over 153,000 migrants arrived in Italy from Tunisia and Libya, according to the United Nations refugee agency. Italy’s far-right Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who won elections last year with a promise to halt illegal migration, has implemented measures to restrict the activities of charity ships involved in rescue missions.
During a recent visit to Rome, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak praised Meloni’s approach and both leaders vowed to prevent migrant boat landings on their countries’ shores, intensifying efforts against people smugglers. The United Nations labels the central Mediterranean migration route as the world’s deadliest, claiming hundreds of lives annually.
Flavio Di Giacomo, an IOM spokesperson, highlighted on social media that over 2,250 people died this year on the central Mediterranean migrant route, emphasizing the urgent need for enhanced life-saving measures at sea.
The tragic sinking of the Adriana, a fishing boat carrying 750 people from Libya to Italy, further underscores the gravity of the situation. Survivors, mostly Syrians, Pakistanis, and Egyptians, numbered only 104, with 82 bodies recovered.
In Libya, a decade of violence since the overthrow of dictator Moamer Kadhafi has created a fertile ground for human traffickers accused of various abuses, from extortion to slavery.
