At least 42 migrants headed for Europe by boat were returned to Libya after two dozen are feared to have died when their vessel capsized in the Mediterranean Sea on Monday.
The U.N. refugee agency in Libya said that only one body was discovered at sea and 23 others are feared to be dead.
"The situation cannot be ignored, and states must live up to their responsibilities and redeploy search and rescue vessels," tweeted the head of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Libya, Federico Soda, who has been concerned over recent instances of migrant deaths after attempts to depart from Libya have been rising.
On Sunday, another boat carrying at least 45 migrants from Libya to Europe capsized and resulted in a total of five deaths where a woman and child drowned. IOM spokeswoman Safa Msehli said the remaining 40 migrants were saved by fishermen who brought them back to Libya's shores.
For more reporting from the Associated Press, see below.
Monday was the latest disaster in the Mediterranean Sea involving migrants seeking a better life in Europe.
Tarik Argaz, a spokesman for the U.N. refugee agency in the North African country, said the Libyan coast guard returned at least 42 survivors to the shore and the capital, Tripoli.
The UNHCR—the U.N. Refugee Agency—and the International Rescue Committee were treating survivors for burns, he added.
Sunday's capsized boat was among nine that were carrying more than 700 migrants and that were intercepted Sunday by the Libyan coast guard, Msehli said. The migrants were taken to overcrowded detention centers, where the U.N. migration agency fears more threats to their lives and violations of their rights, Msehli added.
There has been a spike in crossings and attempted crossings from Libya in recent weeks, with smugglers taking advantage of the calm sea and warm weather.
Libya has in recent years 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 ruler Moammar Gadhafi in 2011.
Earlier this month, at least 11 Europe-bound migrants drowned when a rubber dinghy carrying two dozen people capsized off Libya. That followed another tragedy in April, when at least 130 migrants were presumed dead in one of the deadliest maritime tragedies in years along the busy route.
Around 7,000 Europe-bound migrants were intercepted and returned to Libya so far this year, according to the IOM's tally.
Smugglers often pack desperate families into ill-equipped rubber boats that stall and founder along the perilous Central Mediterranean route. Over the last several years, hundreds of thousands of migrants have reached Europe either on their own or after being rescued at sea.
Thousands have drowned along the way. Others were intercepted and returned to Libya to be left at the mercy of armed groups or confined in squalid detention centers that lack adequate food and water, according to rights groups.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
To read how Newsweek uses AI as a newsroom tool, Click here.
