The Red Crescent reports that 8 people died and many people were rescued as a result of a migrant accident on the coast of Libya

TRIPOLI, 25 january (Reuters) – At least eight people have died after a boat carrying dozens of African migrants capsized off the coast of Libya.

Bodies washed ashore near the Libyan town of Castelverde, 40 km (25 miles) east of Tripoli, after the boat sank on Tuesday, part of a series of deadly shipwrecks that have killed scores of migrants in the Mediterranean last year.

Humanitarian agencies say the number of migrants and refugees seeking to cross into Europe in search of a safer or better life has increased since the COVID-19 pandemic, although it remains below the level seen in 2014-15.

According to the Red Crescent Society, which is conducting search and rescue operations, eyewitnesses of the disaster said that about 150 people had gathered on the ship in the hope of reaching Italy.

On Wednesday, Red Crescent workers in protective clothing placed the bodies of the drowned in bags at the dockside.

Due to its proximity to Italy and its porous borders, Libya is a major exit point for people seeking to reach Europe.

However, Libya, mired in its own conflict since 2011 and with much of the country controlled by armed groups, is also a dangerous place for migrants and refugees.

Many of them are held in detention centers, where some complain of ill-treatment, including neglect, abuse and exploitation.

Reporting by Reuters Libya Newsroom, written by Mariam Rizk and Angus McDowall; Edited by Alex Richardson

Our standards: Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

2023-01-25 19:20:34
Source – reuters

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