Cairo, Sep 18 (AP) A boat carrying Sudanese refugees that caught fire and sank off Libya's coast Sunday, killing at least 50, was headed toward Greece when the incident happened, the International Organisation for Migration said.
The boat sank about 60 kilometres off the coast of Tobruk in eastern Libya, the United Nations migration agency added Thursday.
Earlier this week, the IOM said on X that the boat was carrying 75 Sudanese refugees when it sank and that only 24 survivors were found, in the latest tragedy for those attempting the dangerous journey to Europe.
The Libyan Red Crescent had said Monday it received an emergency call from authorities in Tobruk about recovering the bodies of people who drowned, but it was unclear if they were those of the Sudanese migrants.
The group said it recovered bodies at Kambot beach, which is located 60 kilometres west of the town, and Qabes, which is 90 kilometres to the east.
The humanitarian organisation didn't provide further details, but Libya has been a main transit point for migrants fleeing war and poverty in Africa and the Middle East. Earlier this month, a migrant boat capsized off Libya's coast, leaving one dead and 22 missing, Libyan authorities said.
The coast guard in Tobruk said at the time that the boat had been carrying 32 migrants when it sailed and that nine had been rescued.
In December, at least 61 migrants, including women and children, drowned off the coast of western Libya.
According to the Missing Migrants Project run by the IOM, at least 434 migrants have been reported dead and 611 missing off Libya in the past eight months.
Libya was plunged into chaos following a NATO-backed uprising that toppled and killed longtime autocrat leader Moammar Gadhafi in 2011. (AP) GRS
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