At least 42 migrants lost off the Libyan coast

SadaNews - The International Organization for Migration announced today, Wednesday, that at least 42 migrants are missing and are believed to have died after a rubber boat capsized off the Libyan coast, while seven survivors were rescued after spending six days at sea.

The organization stated in a statement that Libyan authorities carried out a search and rescue operation on November 8, near the El Bouri oil field, after the boat carrying 49 migrants, including two women, sank. They had left the Libyan shores five days earlier in an attempt to reach Europe.

The organization added that the survivors were taken ashore to receive medical care, while search operations for the missing continue despite diminishing chances of finding them alive after several days have passed since the incident.

This incident is part of a series of recurring maritime disasters occurring on the sea routes between Libya and Europe, which are considered among the most dangerous migration routes in the world.

In recent months, hundreds of migrants have lost their lives in similar drowning incidents. Last October, more than 90 people went missing off the Libyan coast after an overcrowded boat sank, while dozens of bodies were recovered in September near western Libya.

The sea near the Greek shores also witnessed one of the worst maritime disasters in recent years last June, when a boat carrying more than 700 migrants capsized, resulting in the deaths or disappearances of more than 500 people, most of whom were from Syria, Pakistan, and Egypt.

International humanitarian organizations warn that European deterrent policies and tightened controls on migrants are pushing more of them to take more dangerous routes, increasing the number of casualties in the Mediterranean, which is described as the most perilous corridor for irregular migration in the world.