On Thursday, the National Commission for Human Rights in Libya voiced its regret over the drowning of 24 migrants. Their boat was discovered capsized in the Mediterranean Sea, off the coast of Libya.
“About 24 asylum seekers drowned or are missing and presumed dead, after their boat sank near the coast of Libya,” the committee announced.
It added that the tragedy follows a capsizing in August, which left at least 45 people dead. This marked the largest number of fatalities in a single shipwreck off the coast of Libya.
A spokesperson for the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), Safa Msehli, said that on Monday, Libya’s coast guard intercepted three boats, with one of them capsizing. Msehli added that another 45 people were returned to shore by the coast guard.
Last month, the IOM revealed that in 2020 alone, 6,989 migrants have been intercepted in the Mediterranean and returned to Libya.
Libya is the main point of departure for migrants setting off for Europe. Migrants mostly travel through the west of the country, controlled by the Government of the National Accord (GNA).