At least 57 migrants have been killed off the coast of Libya after their boat capsized. That says a spokesperson of UN Migration Organization IOM.
Eyewitnesses say twenty women and two children drowned. At least 75 people were on board the ship, 18 of whom have since been rescued by the coast guard and fishing boats. The survivors come from Nigeria, Ghana and The Gambia.
The ship left the port of the Libyan city of Al-Khums yesterday. It was reported that technical problems caused the ship to come to a standstill at sea, after which the ship ran into bad weather and capsized.
doubling
At least 896 migrants were killed during the crossing of the Mediterranean between January and June, the IOM said. That is double the number of the same period last year.
Libya is an important transit point for migrants trying to get to Europe. The number of migrants who made the crossing recently has also increased. According to Amnesty International, during the first six months of this year, 7,000 migrants were intercepted during the crossing and detained in detention camps in Libya.
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