Migrant-carrying boat capsized north off Libya, leaving 51 dead or missing

Migrant-carrying boat capsized north off Libya, leaving 51 dead or missing
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A boat carrying migrants toward Europe capsized off Libya’s eastern coast last week, leaving 51 people dead or missing, Arab News reported citing a monitoring group.

The Abreen group, which tracks migrant movements in eastern Libya, said the shipwreck occurred on June 12 in the Mediterranean Sea. Ten migrants survived, while 11 bodies were recovered and 40 people remain missing.

The Libyan coast guard and the Red Crescent in the eastern city of Tobruk said bodies had begun washing ashore over the past 24 hours. Footage released by the coast guard showed rescue teams carrying bodies in white bags onto the shore.

The tragedy is the latest on the central Mediterranean route, one of the world’s deadliest migration paths. Libya remains a major departure point for migrants fleeing conflict and poverty in Africa and the Middle East and attempting to reach Europe.

Smugglers often pack migrants into overcrowded and unsafe boats, including rubber vessels, leaving them vulnerable to drowning during the dangerous sea crossing.

According to the International Organization for Migration, more than 800 migrants were reported dead or missing on the central Mediterranean route between January 1 and May 16 this year. More than 1,300 people died or disappeared on the same route last year.