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More than 70 refugees washed up dead on Libyan beach after boat disaster attempting to cross Mediterranean Sea More than 70 refugees wash up dead on Libyan beach after boat disaster attempting to cross Mediterranean Sea
(35 minutes later)
More than 70 refugees have drowned in the latest boat disaster in the Mediterranean Sea. More than 70 refugees have drowned in the latest boat disaster in the Mediterranean Sea as deaths on the crossings between Libya and Italy reach record highs.
The Libyan Red Crescent said the bodies of 74 migrants had washed ashore in the city of Zawiyah, which is a hub for smugglers. The Libyan Red Crescent said the bodies of 74 migrants had washed ashore near the city of Zawiyah, which is a hub for smugglers.
Their boat is believed to have capsized after being launched towards Europe. Dinghies are routinely overloaded with around 150 people and the fate of others on board was unclear. Photos showed dozens of body bags lined up along the beach, which was littered with debris as large waves crashed on the shore.
More to follow The boat is believed to have capsized after being launched towards Europe. Dinghies are routinely overloaded with around 150 people and the fate of others on board was unclear.
A spokesperson for the Red Crescent said the circumstances of the disaster were unclear and that the bodies would be buried at a cemetery allocated to unidentified people in Tripoli.
The latest disaster pushes the number of refugees killed attempting boat crossings to Europe this year to around 330, although the number is believed to be an underestimate as not all bodies washed up in Libya are recorded by the United Nations and victims are not always found.
Crossings have continued through the winter, despite treacherous conditions at sea, and the EU has been partly blamed for spiralling death rates after smugglers switched from wooden fishing vessels to flimsy dinghies that are harder for security agencies to detect.
More than 5,000 refugees were drowned, suffocated or died of hypothermia at sea in 2016 - the vast majority on the Central Mediterranean route from Libya, which is now the deadliest crossing in the world.
European leaders met in Malta earlier this month to discuss efforts to stem the crisis but resolutions to increase funding and support for Libyan authorities were criticised amid allegations of widespread human rights abuses.
The country remains divided between battling militias as its civil war enters a fifth year, with militant groups kidnapping, detaining and ransoming migrants or forcing them into labour as a source of income.
Nato has received a request from the Libyan government for support, while world leaders agreed to help bolster its capability at a summit in Malta earlier this month and Italy has pledged millions of euros in funding for anti-smuggling initiatives.
The Royal Navy has been training the Libyan coastguard since October and the British government is part of a £1.7m programme to improve the conditions in detention centres, as well as pledging £5.8m aid for Libya.
The Ministry of Defence said it was supporting the country's Government of National Accord and would take alleged human rights abuses into consideration.