At least four people have died after two boats carrying nearly 100 migrants capsized off the coast of Al Khums, Libya, the Libyan Red Crescent reported on Saturday.
According to the organization, the first vessel, carrying 26 migrants from Bangladesh, overturned on Thursday, resulting in four confirmed fatalities. The second boat, which had 69 migrants on board, included two Egyptians and several Sudanese nationals, though the fate of its passengers remains unclear.
Al Khums, located about 118 kilometers east of Tripoli, is a known departure point for migrants attempting to cross the Mediterranean Sea to reach Europe.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) said earlier in the week that at least 42 migrants were missing and presumed dead after a separate rubber boat sank near the Al Buri oilfield, an offshore site north-northwest of Libya’s coast.
Since the 2011 fall of former leader Muammar Gaddafi, Libya has become a major transit hub for people fleeing war, poverty, and instability across Africa and the Middle East.
Images released by the Khums branch of the Red Crescent showed bodies lined up in black plastic bags, while volunteers provided first aid and emergency blankets to survivors. The organization said the Libyan Coast Guard and Khums Port Security participated in the rescue and recovery operation, adding that the victims’ bodies were handed over to authorities under the supervision of local prosecutors.
The latest incident follows a series of deadly migrant tragedies off Libya’s coast. In mid-October, 61 bodies were recovered near Tripoli, and in September, the IOM reported that at least 50 Sudanese migrants died after their vessel caught fire.
Meanwhile, during a U.N. Human Rights Council session in Geneva last week, countries including Britain, Spain, Norway, and Sierra Leone urged Libya to shut down its controversial detention centers, where migrants and refugees have reportedly been tortured, abused, and even killed.
