The bodies of seven irregular migrants from sub-Saharan Africa have been discovered on a beach east of the Libyan capital, Tripoli, in the latest tragedy along the central Mediterranean migration route.
A worker with the Libyan Red Crescent told Agence France-Presse on Sunday that the victims included three children. The source indicated that additional migrants may still be missing.
In an official statement, the Libyan Red Crescent said volunteers from the Al-Khums branch recovered seven bodies from the shoreline of Qasr Al-Akhyar, identifying them as migrants involved in an attempted irregular sea crossing.
Qasr Al-Akhyar, a coastal town located about 73 kilometres east of Tripoli, has frequently witnessed migrant departures toward Europe. The Red Crescent has not yet clarified the exact circumstances surrounding the deaths.
Libya remains a major transit hub for thousands of migrants each year who attempt the dangerous journey across the Mediterranean toward European shores. Shipwrecks and drownings continue to occur regularly along the route.
According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), more than 2,100 migrants died or went missing while attempting to cross the Mediterranean to Europe last year, underscoring the persistent scale of the irregular migration crisis in the region.
For years, migrants from Africa and parts of Asia have used Libya as a key departure point due to its geographic position and limited maritime monitoring capacity. The country’s coastline has repeatedly witnessed fatal incidents involving overcrowded boats heading toward Italy and Malta.
