TRIPOLI: Pakistanis were among the 57 migrants whose corpses came ashore after two migrant boats sank in the Mediterranean off different towns in western Libya, a coast guard official and an aid worker said on Tuesday.
Egyptian witness Bassam Mahmoud claimed one of the boats that left for Europe at 2 a.m. had 80 people.
Moreover, He said the captain refused to stop arguing as the boat sank.
“We fought till someone caught us. “I saw some die in the water,” he told Reuters.
While, Coast guard officer Fathi al-Zayani reported 11 bodies, including a toddler, off Qarabulli in eastern Tripoli. He said Pakistan, Syria, Tunisia, and Egypt were the migrants.
Moreover, A Red Crescent relief worker in Sabratha, western Tripoli, reported they had rescued 46 bodies. These recovered off the beach in six days, all “illegal migrants” from one boat.
The Sabratha Red Crescent service uploaded photos of assistance workers wearing masks. In video they can be seen placing victims in black bags in pick-up vehicles.
The relief worker predicted more bodies would wash up in future days.
The International Organisation for Migration reported this month that 441 migrants and refugees drowned in early 2023. It is while crossing the Mediterranean from North Africa to Europe, the most in six years over a three-month period.
Libya became the major departure point for African migrants trying to reach Europe.
Tunisia has replaced Libya as the most preferred departure spot.
In the previous two days, Italy has rescued 47 boats carrying 1,600 migrants in the central Mediterranean.
While, As EU foreign ministers discussed how to respond to Tunisia’s upheaval, Italy offered money for economic and political reforms on Monday.
