In the most recent migration disaster off the coast of North Africa, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) has reported that a boat carrying dozens of people went down near Libya, and their bodies have not been recovered.
According to a statement released on Saturday, December 16, by the IOM's Libya office, the 61 individuals' deaths are attributed to the strong waves that engulfed their ship shortly after it departed from Zuwara on the northwest coast of Libya, as reported by the Guardian.
The sailboat apparently left Zuwara's coast sometime between December 13 and 14. As per those who managed to escape, the confirmed passenger list was about 86.
The majority of the victims in the most recent event were women and children from several African nations, including Nigeria and the Gambia. There were 25 individuals rescued and sent to a detention center in Libya. An IOM team gave medical support, and all survivors were reported to be in excellent health.
Libya and Tunisia are major launch sites for risky boat trips to Europe via Italy.
An aerial picture shows boats transporting migrants of different nationalities entering a port in the Garabulli area following their rescue at sea by the Libyan Coast Guard, on April 25, 2023.
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'Not Enough Is Being Done'
A representative from the IOM, Flavio Di Giacomo, said on X that 2,250 individuals had lost their lives in the central Mediterranean migrant route this year. He said this is a "dramatic figure which demonstrates that unfortunately not enough is being done to save lives at sea.".
On June 14, the fishing vessel Adriana capsized while transporting 750 passengers from Libya to Italy in international waters off the coast of southwest Greece. People from Syria, Pakistan, and Egypt were among the majority of passengers. The number of survivors was 104, with only 82 corpses later found.
According to the United Nations refugee agency, over 153,000 people fled their homes in Libya and Tunisia and sought asylum in Italy this year.
Libya has become a haven for people traffickers, who are accused of extortion and enslavement, due to the more than a decade of turmoil that has occurred there since the tyrant Muammar Gaddafi was overthrown and killed in a NATO-backed revolution.
In an interview with the Guardian, Di Giacomo said, "While it is undeniably a criminal act by human traffickers to send a boat full of people in stormy seas at this time of year, it is also crucial for European authorities to monitor the Mediterranean, especially during this period. We have been saying it for years. This route lacks a proper monitoring system, and this often results in such tragedies."
In her campaign last year, Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni promised to crack down on illegal immigration. Meloni hailed the Italian government's announcement on November 6 of intentions to create centers in Albania to receive asylum seekers as a historic agreement with Tirana to regulate migrant flows. Nevertheless, the new agreement was anticipated to be ratified by parliament when the constitutional court of Albania postponed those proceedings.
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