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THE BODIES OF 74 migrants who drowned in the Mediterranean trying to reach Europe have washed up on a beach west of the Libyan capital, the Red Crescent said today.
Residents of the village of Harcha, outside Zawiya, 45 kilometres from Tripoli, alerted the emergency services after finding a wrecked boat on the beach with bodies inside, the Red Crescent said.
More were discovered elsewhere on the beach and still more were feared to be in the sea.
A long row of black and white body bags was seen lined up near the water’s edge.
“We don’t have an appropriate vehicle to transport the bodies or a cemetery for unidentified bodies to bury them in,” the group said.
Some bodies are still on the beach and others that we can’t reach are still floating in the water.
The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) said the boat was reported to have foundered on Sunday, leaving as many as 100 people dead.
“Traffickers reportedly stole the engine and left it to drift,” the agency said.
“A survivor, reportedly in a coma, was transferred to hospital.”
The agency said that if confirmed, the deaths would bring the total number of migrants killed trying to cross the Mediterranean so far this year to more than 365.
It said that 187 migrants were rescued off Zawiya on Saturday, and were currently being held in a detention centre.
The tragedy is believed to be the worst since around 180 people were estimated to have died on January 14 when a migrant boat capsized off the coast of Libya.
Since then, hundreds of people have been plucked from the waters north of the African nation, including 700 on January 30 alone off the western city of Sabratha.
‘What price #humanity?’
Today, Italy’s coast guard said it rescued around another 630 migrants off the coast of Libya from two drifting vessels, a large boat and a rubber raft.
“74 bodies on a Libyan shore. Each testament to #indifference, a tragedy, entirely preventable. What price #humanity?” tweeted Elhadj As Sy, head of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).
The IOM said migrant arrivals in Italy had risen sharply this year compared with the same period of 2016.
As of Sunday, 10,120 had arrived compared with 6,589 between 1 January and 18 February last year.
People smugglers have taken advantage of the chaos gripping Libya since the 2011 revolution to greatly boost their lucrative trade.
Most departures take place from the west of Libya, usually heading for Italy 300 kilometres away across the Mediterranean.
Europeans are considering measures aimed at blocking the arrival of thousands of migrants, alarming NGOs which fear that those stranded in Libya may suffer mistreatment.
In the absence of an army or a regular police force in Libya, several militias act as coastguards but are often accused themselves of complicity or even involvement in the people-smuggling business.
UN Libya envoy Martin Kobler visited a migrants’ camp in Tripoli today, and said he would be discussing their voluntary repatriation with the authorities.
“They do not have enough food. They have really a serious situation here and it’s very important to solve their humanitarian problem,” he said.
“If they want to return they must be given the chance to return.”
According to the United Nations, more than 5,000 people died last year in attempts to cross the Mediterranean and reach Europe, most of them after embarking from the Libyan coast after paying people smugglers.
This was the highest annual toll on record.
Unlike previous years, winter has not brought an end to the migrant arrivals, just a reduction in the numbers.
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We got lucky this time thankfully.
@Declan Gibney: may not be lucky next time.Time to stock up the freezer.Could be a big run in bread.
@Willie Marty: And toilet paper!
@Nickb: lol and vaseline
Lol certainly not although some lads on here might need the vaseline or bonjella for the lips after all the (mouthing) talking they do.
The weather forecasters are on high alert as they can’t pronounce Ciarán
@Patrick Presley: racist and silly comment
@SF Means Sh!t 4 Free: yes, wondering same as you, how is this racist?
Actually made me smile, I wonder how they’ll pronounce Ciarán over there…
Serious storm though
@Jerry LeFrog: actually just saw a YT video, they pronounce it correctly with a French twist “Keeranne”
@Ger Byrne: Uneducated. Should not be allowed anywhere near a device that can connect to the internet.
Eurostar what a great achievement and here we can’t put down one piece of railway track but only greenaways, not even a railways service to our busiest airport.
@Leonard Barry: and now over to met eireann for the latest weather forecast
Oh look,we can comment on rainfall abroad; I’d say that innocuous enough.
@Marie Power: And you took the opportunity to write, “I’d say that innocuous enough.”
@James Carroll: I know James, apologies; it should have read:’ I’d say that’s innocuous etc’.
Hopefully it doesn’t do any damage to England or France
Hope the French are ok
I know that the north of France is getting the brunt, but we have gusts of up to 100km here in the south east. Windy enough, especially with a huge tree near us that, while the core may be structurally sound, it frequently loses heavy branches in high winds.
@David Stapleton: them branches can weigh a ton or more. Serious business.
@David Stapleton: well it is certainly good for business David – I am in the East and I have been trying to get various companies to come out and look at a tree that needs to be cut as it is a bit too near power/phone lines and might cause some harm next time. Numerous calls later to different companies and “we call out tomorrow, next week” etc and weeks later still waiting.
We need emergency flood relief pipes, sunk on to major river beds and overflow risers connected to them. Run it from flood areas, with major rivers and out to a slipway at the coast or too a reservoir or hydro battery for generating power at night.
Biden has called for a humanitarian pause in bombing Gaza after being heckled. The Man is no leader
Thankfully Michael D can still voice the truth Collective punishment of innocent men women and children in Gaza is an absolute violation of every moral political and humaniti and humanitarian laws A clear crime by an invading force into an already desperate country .Shame on Israel now the world can see this government for what it is
The usual nonsense from Limerick’s hanging judge (everything suspended) when dealing with hurler Pat Ryan. How, in God’s name does that pointless wig still have a job? What a waste of time, police resources, taxpayers’ money, and all to produce an empty, meaningless sentence. On and on it goes.
Wind power bonanza.
The Dutch super slow bike race faded out like a damp squib
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