At least 60 refugees and migrants are feared to have drowned after two separate shipwrecks off the coast of Libya, the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) has confirmed. The victims were attempting the perilous journey across the Mediterranean in hopes of reaching Europe.
“With dozens feared dead and entire families left in anguish, IOM is once again urging the international community to scale up search and rescue operations and guarantee safe, predictable disembarkation for survivors,” said Othman Belbeisi, IOM’s Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa.
According to the UN agency, the first tragedy occurred on June 12 near Alshab port in the Tripolitania region. Only five survivors were rescued, while 21 people remain missing. Among the presumed dead are six Eritreans—three women and three children—as well as five Pakistanis, four Egyptians, and two Sudanese men. The identities of four other victims are still unknown.
The second shipwreck took place on June 13, roughly 35 kilometres (22 miles) west of Tobruk. In that incident, a lone survivor was pulled from the sea by local fishermen. He reported that 39 others were on board and are now missing.
The IOM reports that at least 743 people have lost their lives so far this year while trying to cross the Mediterranean to reach Europe. Of these, 538 deaths occurred along the Central Mediterranean route, which remains the deadliest migration route in the world.
Efforts by the European Union to curb migration, including the provision of funding and equipment to Libya’s coastguard, have come under scrutiny. The Libyan coastguard, a quasi-military body with ties to militias accused of serious human rights abuses, has drawn criticism from human rights groups and international observers.
Non-governmental organisations say that the withdrawal of state-led search and rescue missions has made sea crossings significantly more dangerous. NGOs have also criticised governments for taking punitive measures against humanitarian groups operating rescue missions in the Mediterranean.
As a result of tightened migration controls, many people fleeing war, persecution, and poverty are becoming stranded in Libya, where they are often held in detention centres described by rights organisations as inhumane and abusive.
Libya itself remains in a fragile state, still reeling from years of internal conflict and instability following the 2011 uprising and the fall of Muammar Gaddafi. The country’s power vacuum has left migrants and refugees increasingly vulnerable, both at sea and on land.
