Only 13 survive as boat carrying 74 refugees capsizes off Libya coast: UNHCR

Tripoli [Libya], September 18 (ANI): Only 13 people have survived and dozens remain missing after a vessel carrying 74 refugees, mostly from Sudan, capsized off the coast of Tobruk in eastern Libya on September 13, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said, making this the second major maritime tragedy in the region within a matter of days.

Announcing in a post on X on Wednesday, the UNHCR’s Libya chapter expressed deep sorrow over the tragedy, as dozens who are still missing are presumed to have drowned.

“UNHCR is deeply saddened by a second tragic boat incident off Tobruk on 13 September, where a vessel carrying 74 people, mostly Sudanese refugees, capsized. Only 13 people survived & dozens remain missing. Our condolences to the families & loved ones of those who lost their lives,” the agency stated on X.

Earlier, on Tuesday, the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) stated that at least 50 people died after a boat carrying 75 Sudanese refugees caught fire off the coast of Libya near Tobruk on September 14.

In a post on X, the IOM Spokesperson expressed profound grief over the tragic loss, urging urgent global action to prevent such maritime disasters.

“IOM is deeply saddened by the tragic loss of life after a vessel carrying 75 Sudanese refugees caught fire off Libya’s coast on 14 September. At least 50 lives were lost. IOM provided lifesaving medical care to 24 survivors. Urgent action is needed to end such tragedies at sea,” the post read.

The ongoing war in Sudan between the national army and paramilitary forces has forced over 140,000 Sudanese refugees to flee into Libya over the past two years, nearly doubling the number of Sudanese nationals seeking refuge in the country, Al Jazeera reported.

This refugee influx comes amid a series of tragedies involving migrants attempting the dangerous journey across the Mediterranean from Africa to Europe.

As per Al Jazeera, in August, at least 27 people lost their lives when two boats capsized near Italy’s Lampedusa island.

Two months earlier, around 60 migrants were feared drowned in separate shipwrecks off Libya’s coast.

According to the IOM, between January 1 and September 13, at least 456 people have died and another 420 have gone missing along the central Mediterranean migration route.

Libya, currently hosting approximately 867,055 migrants, has become a major transit hub for those aiming to reach Europe, particularly since the fall of former leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, as per Al Jazeera.

The country has since struggled with political instability, marked by competing governments and frequent clashes among rival militias in the oil-rich nation.

Numerous human rights organisations and UN agencies have reported widespread abuses against migrants and refugees in Libya, including torture, sexual violence, and extortion. (ANI)

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