Migrant boat capsizes off Libya, 1 dead, 22 missing
The migrants are crammed onto poorly equipped vessels, including rubber dinghies, and set off on risky sea journeys. | Representative image: ANI
A boat carrying migrants bound for Europe capsized off the Libyan coast on Tuesday, killing one person and leaving 22 people missing, Libyan authorities said.
The coast guard in the eastern Libyan city of Tobruk said the boat was carrying 32 migrants and that nine had been rescued. Survivors are being taken to a port in Tobruk, the coast guard said.
The shipwreck was the latest maritime disaster off the coast of the North African country, which in recent years has emerged as a major transit point for migrants fleeing war and poverty in Africa and the Middle East.
Libya descended into chaos after a NATO-backed uprising led to the ouster of former autocrat Moammar Gaddafi in 2011.
Traffickers have taken advantage of the chaos in recent years to smuggle migrants across Libya’s vast borders, which it shares with six countries. The migrants are packed into poorly equipped vessels, including rubber dinghies, and sent on risky sea journeys.
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First publication: 03 Sep 2024 | 21:01 IST