In a shipwreck off the coast
Libya According to the UN, more than 40 migrants and refugees have died. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) said 42 people on the ship were still missing and presumed dead. Seven people were rescued; they are said to have drifted at sea for six days.
On Saturday, Libyan authorities carried out a search and rescue operation after an inflatable boat capsized, the IOM said. According to survivors, the boat carrying 49 migrants and refugees (47 men and 2 women) left Zuwara on the morning of November 3. About six hours later, high waves reportedly caused engine failure, causing the ship to capsize and all on board to fall overboard, according to the IOM.
After six days at sea, only seven people, four from Sudan, two from Nigeria and one from Cameroon, were rescued. 42 people are still missing and presumed dead.
More than 1,000 deaths this year
Libya has developed into an important transit route for migrants since the overthrow of ruler Muammar al-Gaddafi in 2011. They are fleeing conflict and poverty and trying to survive. Mediterranean to get to Europe. According to the IOM, around 895,000 migrants from 45 countries have recently lived in the North African country.
In September, at least 50 people died when a boat carrying 75 Sudanese refugees caught fire off the coast of Libya. According to authorities, at least 61 bodies of refugees were found on Libyan beaches in October. According to data from the UN’s Missing Migrants project, more than 1,000 people have died in the central Mediterranean this year.
This article will continue to be updated.
