At least 85 bodies of African migrant trying to cross the
Mediterranean have been found washed up from the beaches of the coastal town of
Zuwara in Libya.
According to a Red Cross Official, hundreds of migrants died
in boat accidents last week as departures from the North African coast towards
Italy surged. Many of the boats are believed to have left from the shore around
Zuwara and Sabratha in Libya’s north-west.
The coastguard in town last week intercepted more than 450
migrants in four separate boats over Wednesday and Thursday. According to
survivors of two of the boats which were deflated, more than 100 people had
drowned.
The head of the European Union’s Mediterranean naval mission
recently said that people smuggling was estimated to account for between 30%
and 50% of the gross domestic product in northwestern Libya. Migrants pay
smugglers hundreds of dollars for a place on boats, often flimsy inflatable
craft that either sink or are picked up by international rescue missions.
A resident in Zuwara said that besides the bodies, empty
dinghies are also washing up. They are believed to be vessels which would have
been carrying migrants but are then abandoned following rescue operations.
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