Twelve Egyptian migrants are feared dead after their boat capsized near Tobruk, Libya, on Monday, according to Egyptian security sources. A single survivor who was rescued from the shipwreck, informed Libyan authorities that the group had departed for Italy on Sunday night in a smuggler’s boat.
The migrants, from Egypt’s Al-Sharkia and Al-Gharbia provinces, join a growing number of Egyptians undertaking perilous journeys across the Mediterranean in search of better opportunities due to high inflation and unemployment back home.
Since the fall of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, Libya has become a central transit point for migrants fleeing poverty and conflict in hopes of reaching Europe. Recent UN data indicates that Libya hosts 761,322 migrants from 44 countries.
