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

Tripoli [Libya], September 18 (HBTV): Only 13 people 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. This marks the second major maritime tragedy in the region within days.

In a post on X on Wednesday, UNHCR Libya expressed deep sorrow over the tragedy, noting that dozens of missing refugees 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 and dozens remain missing. Our condolences to the families and loved ones of those who lost their lives,’ the agency stated.

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

‘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 IOM Spokesperson said in a post on X.

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

This influx comes amid a series of migrant tragedies involving dangerous Mediterranean crossings from Africa to Europe. In August, at least 27 people died 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 IOM data, between January 1 and September 13, at least 456 people have died and another 420 remain missing along the central Mediterranean migration route.

Libya, currently hosting about 867,055 migrants, has become a major transit hub for those seeking to reach Europe, particularly since the fall of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. The country continues to face political instability, with rival governments and frequent clashes among militias.

Human rights organisations and UN agencies have repeatedly documented abuses against migrants and refugees in Libya, including torture, sexual violence, and extortion.

(ANI)