UN: Over 160 migrants drown in shipwrecks off Libya

CAIRO — More than 160 migrants drowned successful 2 abstracted shipwrecks disconnected Libya implicit past week, a United Nations migration authoritative said Tuesday. The fatalities were the latest disasters successful the Mediterranean Sea involving migrants seeking a amended beingness successful Europe.

Safa Msehli, a spokeswoman for the International Organization for Migration, said astatine slightest 102 migrants were reported dormant aft their woody vessel capsized disconnected Libya connected Friday. At slightest 8 others were rescued and returned to shore, she said.

Three days later, Libyan seashore defender retrieved astatine slightest 62 bodies of migrants successful different shipwreck. Msehli said.

Another vessel carrying astatine slightest 210 migrants was intercepted and returned to Libya, she said.

The deaths person brought the tally successful the cardinal Mediterranean way to astir 1,500 migrants drowned this year, Msehli said.

Around 31,500 migrants were intercepted and returned to Libya successful 2021, compared to astir 11,900 migrants the erstwhile year, according to the IOM. Around 980 migrants were dormant oregon presumed dormant successful 2020, the U.N. bureau said.

Libya has emerged arsenic the ascendant transit constituent for migrants fleeing warfare and poorness successful Africa and the Middle East. The oil-rich state plunged into chaos pursuing a NATO-backed uprising that toppled and killed longtime autocrat Moammar Gadhafi successful 2011.

Human traffickers person benefited from the chaos successful the oil-rich federation and smuggled migrants done the country’s lengthy borderline with six nations. They battalion hopeless migrants into ill-equipped rubber boats, past embark connected risky voyages done the perilous Mediterranean Sea.

Those returned person been taken to detention centers rife with abuses, including forced labor, beatings, rapes and torture. The maltreatment often accompanies efforts to extort wealth from families earlier migrants are allowed to permission Libya connected traffickers’ boats.

U.N.-commissioned investigators said successful October that maltreatment and sick attraction of migrants successful Libya could magnitude to crimes against humanity.