Libyan rescue workers have recovered at least 15 bodies found on the coast in Sabratha including a number burned in a boat and others on the beach, a member of the Red Crescent in the city said on Friday. A security source in Sabratha said the dead people were migrants caught in a dispute between two rival groups of people smugglers in the northwest city, a major hub for illegal migration across the Mediterranean. Libya was a key route for clandestine migration towards Europe even before the 2011 uprising that overthrew dictator Muammar Gaddafi. People smugglers from the western city of Sabratha — some 300 kilometers (185 miles) from the Italian island of Lampedusa — continue to play a key role. Since the start of the year, more than 14,000 migrants have been intercepted and returned to Libya, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said Monday.

Source: Libya Today October 08, 2022 10:16 UTC