Explorer

UN: Migrant boat capsizes off Libya, 57 thought dead

Cairo, Jul 27 (AP): A boat carrying African migrants capsized off Libya's coast Monday, leaving at least 57 people presumed dead, a .

Cairo, Jul 27 (AP): A boat carrying African migrants capsized off Libya's coast Monday, leaving at least 57 people presumed dead, a U.N. migration official said. It was the latest disaster in the Mediterranean Sea involving migrants seeking a better life in Europe.

The vessel left the western coastal town of Khums on Sunday, Safa Msehli, a spokesperson for the International Organization for Migration, said.

She said there were at least 75 migrants on board, including women and children. Among the 57 presumed drowned were 20 women and two children, Msehli said.

Eighteen of the migrants were rescued and returned to shore by fishermen and Libya's coast guard, Msehli said.

The survivors, who are from Nigeria, Ghana and Gambia, reported the vessel had stopped due to an engine problem, then capsized amid bad weather, Msehli said.

Monday's capsizing was the second sea disaster in less than a week off the Libyan coast involving Europe-bound migrants. At least 20 migrants went overboard from a vessel on Wednesday and were presumed dead, according to the U.N. migration agency.

There has been a spike in crossings and attempted crossings from Libya in recent months. Amnesty International has said that in the first six months of this year, more than 7,000 people intercepted at sea were forcibly returned to detention camps in Libya.

A migration agency report earlier this month said the number of migrants and refugees who died while attempting to reach Europe on dangerous sea crossings more than doubled so far this year, compared to the first six months of 2020.

The report said at least 1,146 people perished between January and June, with the Central Mediterranean route between Libya and Italy being the deadliest, claiming 741 lives.

The deadliest shipwreck so far this year took place April 22 off Libya, when 130 people drowned despite the ship sending multiple distress calls.

Libya has emerged as the dominant transit point for migrants fleeing war and poverty in Africa and the Middle East. The oil-rich country plunged into chaos following a NATO-backed uprising that toppled and killed longtime autocrat Moammar Gadhafi in 2011.

Rights groups and officials at U.N. agencies that work with migrants and refugees have for years cited survivor testimony about systematic abuse in detention camps in Libya.

These include forced labor, beatings, rapes and torture. The abuse often accompanies efforts to extort money from families before migrants are allowed to leave Libya on traffickers' boats.

Earlier this month, Libyan maritime authorities acknowledged that one of their coast guard vessels had fired warning shots at a migrant boat it was chasing in the Mediterranean.

They said it was an apparent effort to stop the vessel from crossing to Europe and endangering the lives of the migrants onboard. (AP) IND IND

(This story is published as part of the auto-generated syndicate wire feed. No editing has been done in the headline or the body by ABP Live.)

View More
Advertisement
Advertisement
25°C
New Delhi
Rain: 100mm
Humidity: 97%
Wind: WNW 47km/h
See Today's Weather
powered by
Accu Weather
Advertisement

Top Headline

Kejriwal To Stay Delhi CM From Jail As High Court Finds 'No Legal Bar,' Ball In LG's Court Now
Kejriwal To Stay Delhi CM From Jail As High Court Finds 'No Legal Bar,' Ball In LG's Court Now
'No Court Has Proved Me Guilty': Arvind Kejriwal Thanks ED Officers, Addresses Court Personally
'No Court Has Proved Me Guilty': Arvind Kejriwal Thanks ED Officers, Addresses Court Personally
Another Setback For Congress As Delhi HC Rejects Plea Against Income Tax Case
Another Setback For Congress As Delhi HC Rejects Plea Against Income Tax Case
ED Raids Relative Of Arvind Kejriwal's Wife In Old FEMA Case
ED Raids Relative Of Arvind Kejriwal's Wife In Old FEMA Case
Advertisement
for smartphones
and tablets

Videos

Bihar Lok Sabha Polls 2024: ABP Exclusive With Papu Yadav, MP No Longer Contesting From PurniaVarun Gandhi Pens Emotional Letter To Pilibhit After Being Denied, Says 'Mai Aapka Hu Aur Rahunga'Delhi Excise Policy Case: With CM Arvind Kejriwal's Arrest, Who Will Run The State | Watch ReportLok Sabha Elections 2024: 'BJP Just Wants To Break The Aam Aadmi Party' says Saurabh Bhardwaj

Photogallery

Embed widget