IOM: More than 70 migrants reported dead after boat incident in Libya.
Since the overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi and the start of the civil war in Libya in 2011, the country has become a transit point for illegal migrants seeking refuge in Europe.
MOSCOW, February 15 (Sputnik) - At least 73 migrants have gone missing and are now presumed dead after the boat carrying them sank off the coast of Libya, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said on Wednesday.
"At least 73 migrants are missing and presumed dead after a tragic shipwreck off the coast of Libya yesterday, according to @UNmigration in Libya," the organization tweeted.
In total, around 80 people were on board the boat, which left the coastal city of Qasr Alkayar in western Libya on Tuesday, bound for Europe, the IOM reported.
Since the overthrow of President Muammar Gaddafi and the start of the civil war in Libya in 2011, the country has become a transit point for illegal migrants seeking refuge in Europe. Their attempts to reach the European coast via the Mediterranean Sea often fail and result in deaths.
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