Tripoli: Europe and the Arabs – Agencies

The Libyan Red Crescent teams recovered seven bodies of undocumented migrants from sub-Saharan Africa on the beach of Qasr al-Akhyar, east of the capital Tripoli. Among the deceased were three children. The fate of other migrants remains unknown.

Libyan Red Crescent Recovers Migrant Bodies

The Red Crescent explained that volunteers from its Khoms branch "recovered seven bodies from the beach in the Qasr al-Akhyar area. The bodies belonged to migrants who had attempted to migrate illegally." The source did not disclose details regarding the circumstances of the deaths, but estimates suggest that other migrants are still missing.

Libya is a major transit point for thousands of migrants annually on their way to Europe via the Mediterranean Sea, where drownings are frequent. According to the International Organization for Migration, more than 2,100 undocumented migrants died or went missing while attempting to cross the Mediterranean to Europe last year.

Days ago, hundreds of people were reported missing in the Mediterranean Sea during attempts at irregular migration in recent days and weeks. At least 53 migrants died or went missing after a rubber boat capsized on February 6 off the coast of Libya, north of the city of Zuwara. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) stated that the boat was carrying 55 people, including two infants. Libyan authorities rescued two Nigerian women during search and rescue operations. One survivor reported that her husband was missing, while the other said she had lost her two children. The IOM statement read: "The IOM mourns the loss of life in yet another deadly incident along the Central Mediterranean route. IOM teams provided emergency medical care to the two survivors immediately after they disembarked, in coordination with the relevant authorities." According to the two survivors, the boat departed from the Libyan city of Zawiya on February 5 at approximately 11:00 PM and capsized about six hours later. According to the Italian news site Nova, data from the International Organization for Migration (IOM) shows that in January alone, at least 375 migrants were reported dead or missing following multiple shipwrecks in the central Mediterranean Sea, amid harsh weather conditions, with hundreds more deaths believed to have gone unrecorded. The IOM stated, "These recurring incidents underscore the persistent and deadly risks faced by migrants and refugees attempting the perilous crossing of the Mediterranean." According to the IOM's Missing Migrants Project, more than 1,300 migrants disappeared in the central Mediterranean in 2025. The organization added that smuggling networks "continue to exploit migrants along the route, profiting from dangerous crossings on unseaworthy vessels and exposing people to serious abuses and threats to their safety." The International Organization for Migration stressed "the need for stronger international cooperation and protection-focused responses to combat human smuggling and trafficking networks, along with providing safe and orderly migration pathways to reduce risks and save lives."