57 migrants, including Pakistanis, died when two boats carrying migrants capsized in the Mediterranean near two towns in western Libya.
Egyptian survivor Bassam Mahmoud recounted that one of the vessels, carrying about 80 passengers, left for Europe around 2:00 a.m. on Tuesday. Despite the boat’s sinking, the captain refused to stop. Mahmoud described the scene as horrifying and witnessed people drowning before his eyes.
Coast Guard officer Fathi al-Zayani reported that 11 bodies, including an infant, were recovered from the eastern part of Tripoli in Qarabulli. The migrants were from Pakistan, Syria, Tunisia, and Egypt. Meanwhile, a Red Crescent aid worker in Sabratha, western Tripoli, stated that 46 bodies from another boat were found on the beach over the past six days.
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The Sabratha Red Crescent posted images of aid workers handling the bodies, and the aid worker anticipates more will be discovered in the coming days. In early 2023, the International Organization for Migration reported that 441 migrants and refugees perished in the Mediterranean attempting to cross from North Africa to Europe, marking the highest fatalities in three months in the last six years.
Following the NATO-backed uprising that overthrew Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, Libya became the primary departure point for African migrants trying to reach Europe. Recently, Tunisia has taken Libya’s place as the most popular departure point. Over the past two days, Italy has rescued 47 boats with around 1,600 migrants in the central Mediterranean Sea and brought them to Lampedusa. On Monday, Italy offered Tunisia potential financial aid in exchange for economic and political reforms.
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Additions input was taken from Reuters
