Libya’s Red Crescent said it joined a large-scale rescue after two boats carrying nearly 100 migrants capsized off the coast. Four people died in the disaster, all among 26 Bangladeshis aboard one vessel, the humanitarian organisation reported.
The second boat carried 69 migrants, including two Egyptians and 59 Sudanese, among them eight children, with no fatalities reported. Authorities received an overnight alert Friday about the vessels, which had departed Khoms, 120 kilometres east of Tripoli, the Red Crescent said.
Photos released Saturday showed survivors receiving medical care, clothing, and blankets, alongside body bags containing the four deceased migrants. The Red Crescent worked closely with Libya’s coast guard and port authorities to conduct the rescue and recover the bodies.
Libya remains a key transit point for thousands attempting the perilous journey to Europe by sea each year. Earlier this week, the International Organization for Migration said another ship departing Libya sank, leaving 42 people missing and presumed dead.
The UN refugee agency has documented more than 1,700 deaths or disappearances this year along Mediterranean and West African migration routes. Since 2014, the IOM’s Missing Migrants project estimates roughly 33,000 people have died or gone missing attempting the Mediterranean crossing.
