A migrant shipwreck off the western coast of Libya resulted in the recovery of at least 15 bodies, according to a Red Crescent spokesperson on Friday (local time).
Local officials had told the humanitarian organisation about bodies on the shore, according to Tawfik Al Shukri. He said the bodies were removed and taken to a hospital, where the cause of death would be determined by examining the remains.
In a desperate bid to reach the shores of Europe, migrants frequently attempt to cross the Mediterranean from Libya.
Online videos showing the burnt hull of the crashed boat perched on cliff faces with bodies scattered around it and nearby have gone viral. It was unclear when the fire was started as well as the cause of the fatalities right away.
The ship capsized near the coast of Sabratha, a significant port for the majority-African migrants embarking on the perilous journey across the Mediterranean. Sabratha is located in western Libya.
In recent years, human traffickers have benefited from the disarray in war-torn Libya by transporting migrants across the long borders that the desert nation shares with six other countries. The migrants are then frequently crammed into inadequate rubber boats before embarking on perilous maritime journeys.
There were rumours that a mass shooting had taken place on the ferry.
The International Organization for Cooperation and Emergency Aid, a local Libyan NGO that deals on migrant issues, claimed in a statement that the 15 victims were slain by human smugglers who shot them before setting fire to the vessel.
At least 150 migrants who were leaving Libya died, according to the International Organization for Migration, in the first six months of 2022. 565 more people went missing.
Due to internal conflict, Libya has become the primary transit country for refugees fleeing violence and poverty in Africa and the Middle East. Since 2011, the oil-rich nation has been torn apart by civil war, with competing governments that are each supported by foreign donors and numerous armed militias on the ground.
According to rights organisations, many of those who have been stopped and sent back to Libya, including women and children, are kept in government-run prison facilities where they experience abuse like torture, rape, and extortion.
Fire on a Libyan migrant boat claimed at least 15 lives.
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