At least 18 migrants died in a shipwreck in front of the city of Tobruk in eastern Libya during the weekend, and 50 was still missing, the International Migration Organization (IOM) said on Tuesday, citing reports.
Ten survivors have been counted so far, said the IOM.
Tobruk is a coastal city near the border with Egypt.
Since the demolition of Muammar Gaddafi in an uprising backed by NATO in 2011, Libya has become a transit country for migrants fleeing conflicts and poverty to Europe through the desert and on the Mediterranean.
“This last tragedy is a marked reminder of the mortal risks that people are forced to seek security and opportunity. Libya remains an important transit point for migrants and refugees, many of whom face exploitation, abuse and trips that threaten life,” said the IOM.
Last month, at least 60 migrants were feared after a couple of shipwrecks off the coast of Libya. The first ship fell on June 12 near a Libyan port in Tripoli, with 21 people, including women and children, they reported missing and only five survivors found.
Those lost in the sea included erythre, Pakistani, Egyptian and Sudanese nationals. The second accident took place about 35 kilometers from the port city of Tobruk, and the only survivor informed 39 people lost in the sea.
It was feared that several Pakistani migrants were among the dead after a ship overturned near the port of Marsa Dela, northwest of the city of Zawiya in Libya in February. The boat transported around 65 passengers at the time of the accident.
The development followed a similar incident in January in which a boat that transported 80 passengers overturned near Morocco. Although the identities of at least 13 Pakistani in the incident were confirmed, according to the reports, more than 40 Pakistani were killed by traffickers of African people in the boat and only 22 survived the tragedy.
