Tripoli – At least 73 migrants are missing and presumed dead after a shipwreck off the coast of Libya on Tuesday. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) announced this on its Twitter account today. According to her, seven people were saved.
Advertisement'; }
The ship left Libya for Europe on Tuesday and is believed to have approximately 80 people on board, according to the IOM. Seven of them managed to swim to land, were in an emaciated state and are now in hospital.
Meanwhile, the Libyan Red Crescent, in cooperation with the police, found the bodies of 11 drowned migrants.
Libya is the main transit country for people from Africa and the Middle East heading to Europe. Traffickers are taking advantage of the political chaos that has reigned in the country since the overthrow of dictator Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. Many migrants have lost their lives en route from Libya in recent years. Others reached Europe on the ships of European aid workers. Those caught by the coast guard off Libyan shores are placed in detention centers where, according to NGOs, they face unsanitary conditions and violence.
