ROME (AP) — An aid group said Saturday it has recovered the bodies of 11 migrants off the Libyan coast and transferred them to an Italian coast guard ship off the coast of Libya. Lampedusa Island, where thousands try to reach from North Africa.
The aid group, Doctors Without Borders, said its rescue ship Geo Barents recovered the bodies after a search operation that lasted more than nine hours, after being alerted by the German humanitarian organization Sea-Watch, which also rescues migrants at sea.
The German group said it was unclear whether the migrants were victims of a previous shipwreck, adding that they had tried to contact the Libyan coast guard to recover the bodies but had received no response.
During Saturday’s mission, the Sea-Watch crew also discovered another body.
“As we cannot determine the reason behind this tragedy, we know that people will continue to take dangerous routes in a desperate attempt to reach safety, and that Europe must find safe and legal routes for them,” said Doctors Without Borders, also known as Doctors Without Borders. wrote in a post on X.
The MSF ship was tasked to transport the other 165 people on board, who were rescued during operations in the Mediterranean, to the northern port of Genoa. The group complained that the decision would significantly delay aid to migrants.
Thousands of migrants departing from North African countries are trying to reach Europe with Libya as their starting point, braving a perilous journey across the Mediterranean to escape war and poverty.
The Central Mediterranean Route remains the most dangerous intersection in the world. According to the International Organization for Migration, more than 3,000 people went missing on this route in 2023.
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