Libyan migrant boat capsizes, more than 100 dead
105 new bodies have been recovered while nearly 100 more people are missing, feared dead, after a boat carrying migrants capsized off the coast of Libya.
The boat sank on August 27 after leaving Zuwara, a notorious hotspot for human traffickers who take migrants to Italy by exploiting a security vacuum in Libya, where rival factions are battling for control four years after the overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi.
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| Libyan coast guard collects bodies after the disaster. Photo: Reuters |
Lacking naval vessels, Libyan authorities searched for survivors in fishing boats. About 198 people have been rescued. The bodies of 105 people have washed ashore, while nearly 100 others are still missing and feared dead.
"The boats were of poor quality and people died next to us," said Ayman Talaal, a survivor, Reuters reported. "We were forced to take this route. Now it is called the graveyard of the Mediterranean."
Libya is a major transit route for migrants hoping to reach Europe, with dozens of boats leaving its ports every week. Trafficking networks have taken advantage of the chaos to bring Syrians into Libya via Egypt, while Africans arrive via Niger, Sudan and Chad.
More than 2,300 people have died this year trying to reach Europe by boat, compared to 3,279 last year.
According to VNE
