At least 73 Europe-bound migrants and refugees are missing and presumed dead after their ship sank off the coast of Libya, says the United Nations (UN) migration agency.
In a series of tweets on Wednesday, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Libya said the boat which sank on Tuesday was carrying around 80 people.
🚨 At least 73 migrants are reported missing and presumed dead following a tragic shipwreck off the Libyan coast yesterday according to @UNmigration in Libya.
The boat, carrying around 80 people, reportedly departed from Qasr Alkayar on 14 February heading to Europe. pic.twitter.com/fGtUW6bkhT
Advertisement— IOM Libya (@IOM_Libya) February 15, 2023
“Seven survivors who made it back to shore in extremely dire conditions are currently in the hospital,” the UN agency added.
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“So far 11 bodies have been retrieved by the Libyan red crescent and the local police.”
IOM said the the boat was travelling on a route the agency called “the world’s deadliest migratory sea crossing”.
In recent years, Libya has been the dominant transit point for refugees and asylum seekers from Africa and the Middle East trying to make it to Europe.
IOM displacement tracking matrix (DTM) programme identified a total of 683,813 migrants from over 42 nationalities.
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More than 130 people have already died in 2023, while making the dangerous journey over the Mediterranean Sea.
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