73 migrants presumed dead: IOM

At least 73 migrants were reported missing and presumed dead following a shipwreck off the Libyan coast on Tuesday, the official Twitter account of International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Libya said yesterday. Seven survivors made it to shore from the boat, which was carrying around 80 people, who had reportedly departed from Qasr Alkayar, east of Tripoli, to head to Europe, the IOM added. So far, 11 bodies have been retrieved by the Libyan red Crescent and the local police, while the seven survivors are in hospital, the IOM said. Libya has become a major launching point for migrants seeking to reach Europe via a dangerous route across the desert and over the Mediterranean. The central Mediterranean remains the world's deadliest migratory sea crossing. The latest tragedy brings the numbers of deaths there since the beginning of this year alone to 130, IOM said. According to the agency's Missing Migrants Project, more than 1,450 migrant deaths were recorded on that route in 2022.