Only 13 survivors from capsized boat carrying 74 refugees off Libya: UNHCR

Only 13 survivors from capsized boat carrying 74 refugees off Libya: UNHCR

Only 13 people were saved, according to the Libyan High Commissioner for Refugees, after a vessel carrying 74 people, mostly Sudanese refugees, capsized on Tuesday off the coast of Tobruk, in eastern Libya.

According to a statement posted on social media on Wednesday, “dozens” are still missing.

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At least 50 people died as a result of the vessel’s fire, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM) on Tuesday. According to the UN migration agency, 24 survivors received medical care.

The real solution to ending the war in Sudan is to stop families from returning home safely and avoid taking these risky journeys, according to UNHCR, because only a select few people have access to safe and legal pathways.

More than 140, 000 refugees have been flown into Libya since the army and paramilitary forces have been fighting in Sudan, nearly doubling the number of Sudanese refugees there.

Refugees and migrants making the dangerous Mediterranean crossing from Africa to Europe were the most recent victims of the disaster.

At least 60 refugees and migrants were feared missing and drowned at sea after two shipwrecks off the coast of&nbsp, Libya, occurred in August, killing at least 27 people.

Between January 1 and September 13, according to the IOM, at least 456 people died and 420 were reported missing along the central Mediterranean route.

Since the 2011 uprising of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, where there are around 867,055 migrants, has become a transit point for migrants or refugees trying to reach Europe.

Libya has struggled to form a strong state following years of rule in the wake of his overthrow. The oil-rich nation’s two rival governments are currently battling it out, with rival militias frequently engaged in conflict there.

Source: Aljazeera

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