Eighteen migrants drowned off the western shores of Libya while they were on a boat carrying about 70 migrants attempting to reach Europe, several sources reported. A responsible source in the Libyan Coast Guard told Agence France-Presse on Tuesday that 18 migrants drowned, and their teams managed to "rescue 51 migrants yesterday (Monday) after finding a boat carrying them in a sinking condition" off the coast of the city of Zawiya, located west of Tripoli. He added, "According to the testimony of one of the survivors, the inflatable boat was carrying 70 migrants, and according to the count, 18 migrants were found missing and drowned, while one body was recovered."
The International Organization for Migration stated that "16 migrants, including a woman and a child, went missing (on Sunday) and 48 migrants survived," citing data from its "Missing Migrants Project." Libya is a major transit point for tens of thousands of migrants who try to reach Europe annually via the Italian shores, which are about 300 kilometers from the Libyan coast.
The International Organization for Migration announced that 20,257 migrants have been intercepted or rescued at sea since the beginning of this year until the beginning of this month, which is nearly the total number of migrants rescued or intercepted last year and returned to Libya. The organization stated in mid-last month that the number of migrants who died in the Mediterranean Sea while attempting to reach Europe has more than doubled this year, reaching about 970 people. Approximately 60 migrants drowned off the coast of Libya last month in a "horrific" tragedy.
