The fatalities were the latest disasters in the Mediterranean Sea involving migrants seeking a better life in Europe. Around 31,500 migrants were intercepted and returned to Libya in 2021, compared with nearly 11,900 the previous year, according to the IOM. They pack desperate migrants into ill-equipped rubber boats, then embark on risky voyages through the perilous Mediterranean Sea. The abuse often accompanies efforts to extort money from families before migrants are allowed to leave Libya on traffickers' boats. UN-commissioned investigators said in October that abuse and ill treatment of migrants in Libya could amount to crimes against humanity.

Source: Libya Today December 21, 2021 11:18 UTC