TRIPOLI / BEIRUT: In twin incidents of boat sinking in the Mediterranean Sea within a span of 24 hours, 61 migrants were missing and presumed dead while 76 others were rescued. In the first incident, at least 61 migrants went missing and apparently drowned after their boat sank off Libya’s coast, the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) said. The two leaders vowed to stop migrant boat landings on their countries’ shores and to step up efforts to combat people smugglers. Another boat sinkingMeanwhile, Lebanese security forces on Sunday rescued more than 50 people, mostly Syrians, from a sinking migrant boat, off the coast of Tripoli. He is suspected of having piloted a boat carrying around 60 migrants, including children, a charge he denies.

Source: The North Africa Journal December 18, 2023 07:01 UTC