Migration - IOM: More than 60 dead in boat accident off the coast of Libya
Dozens of people have died in a boat accident off the coast of Libya, according to the UN. At least 61 people have drowned, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Libya announced on the platform X, formerly Twitter.
Women and children were among the victims. There were 86 people on the boat, the IOM added, citing survivors. It had set sail from the Libyan coastal town of Suwara.
"The Central Mediterranean remains one of the most dangerous migration routes in the world," IOM continued. Libya has become an important transit country for migrants fleeing war and poverty to Europe. Most migrants make the dangerous crossing to Europe in unseaworthy rubber boats.
According to the IOM, more than 2,200 people have already lost their lives on the route across the central Mediterranean this year. This is a "dramatic number" that proves that not enough is being done to save lives at sea, an IOM spokesperson said on Saturday evening. According to the organization, more than 20,000 people have died or disappeared in the Mediterranean since 2014.
Read also:
- Year of climate records: extreme is the new normal
- Precautionary arrests show Islamist terror threat
- UN vote urges Israel to ceasefire
- SPD rules out budget resolution before the end of the year
Source: www.stern.de
