World, Middle East

Libyan navy finds 11 bodies in open water

Another 83 undocumented migrants were rescued off Libyan coast

23.04.2018 - Update : 24.04.2018
Libyan navy finds 11 bodies in open water file photo

TRIPOLI, Libya 

Libyan naval forces on Sunday announced the death of 11 undocumented migrants, and the rescue of another 83.

In a statement, the naval forces affiliated with the national consensus government said the bodies were found afloat on early Sunday, five miles off the coast of northwestern Sabrata city.

Those rescued from a plastic boat were from different African nationalities, it added.

They were later handed over to Libya’s anti-illegal immigration agency in northwestern Zawiya district.

Ever since the collapse of the central authority in Libya in 2011, the country’s northwestern coast has become a hub for illegal migration to Italy and other countries in Europe.

Libya represents a major transit point for African migrants seeking access to Europe.

Reporting by Afra Aksoy:Writing by Cansu Dikme

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