Boat carrying Egyptian migrant capsizes off Libyan coast, 12 dead

By THE MEDIA LINE STAFF

OCTOBER 31, 2024 16:49

Updated: OCTOBER 31, 2024 16:50

Crew members of the Geo Barents migrant rescue ship, operated by Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders), distribute life jackets to a group of 61 migrants on a boat during a rescue operation in international waters off the coast of Libya in the central Mediterranean Sea September, 2023. (photo credit: REUTERS/DARRIN ZAMMIT LUPI) — Crew members of the Geo Barents migrant rescue ship, operated by Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders), distribute life jackets to a group of 61 migrants on a boat during a rescue operation in international waters off the coast of Libya in the central Mediterranean Sea September, 2023.

(photo credit: REUTERS/DARRIN ZAMMIT LUPI)

The migrants, who were from Egypt’s al-Sharkia and al-Gharbia regions, were attempting to reach Italy, according to Libyan sources who interviewed the sole survivor.

A boat carrying 13 Egyptian migrants capsized off the coast of Libya, leaving only one survivor, according to Libyan authorities and the humanitarian group Al-Abreen on Tuesday.

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The boat overturned Monday evening approximately 60 kilometers (37 miles) east of Tobruk, according to a Facebook post from Al-Abreen, a Libyan organization supporting migrants. The group confirmed that all 12 bodies were recovered and brought to shore.

The migrants, who were from Egypt’s al-Sharkia and al-Gharbia regions, were attempting to reach Italy, according to Libyan sources who interviewed the sole survivor.

Libya lacks unified control over borders

Libya’s instability, following the 2011 NATO-backed overthrow of longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi during the Arab Spring, has made the country vulnerable to human traffickers exploiting migrants seeking to reach Europe. Divided between rival governments in the east and west, Libya currently lacks unified control over its borders.

A group of 61 migrants on a wooden boat are rescued by crew members of the Geo Barents migrant rescue ship, operated by Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders), in international waters off the coast of Libya in the central Mediterranean Sea September 28, 2023. (credit: REUTERS/DARRIN ZAMMIT LUPI)

In a similar incident last month, another boat carrying 32 migrants capsized off Libya’s coast due to engine failure, resulting in one confirmed death and 22 people missing. Nine passengers were rescued, with survivors identified as migrants from Egypt and Syria, Al-Abreen reported.

The International Organization for Migration reported Tuesday that 531 deaths and 754 missing migrants have been recorded on the Eastern Mediterranean route in 2024 alone. In 2023, 962 migrants died, and 1,563 were reported missing while attempting the same journey.