January 20, local time, the International Organization for Migration and UNHCR issued a press release, lamenting the tragic shipwreck that occurred on the 19th in the coastal waters of Libya.
This incident killed at least 43 people, the first accident in the central Mediterranean this year. Another 10 survivors were rescued ashore by the Coast Guard.
It is reported that the wrecked ship stopped working just a few hours after leaving Zavia in the early morning of the 19th and capsized due to bad sea conditions.
Survivors from Côte d’Ivoire, Nigeria, Ghana and Gambia said that the victims were all from West African countries.
IOM staff and UNHCR’s partner, the International Rescue Committee, provided survivors with emergency assistance, including food, water and medical screening services, before leaving the port.
Hundreds of people died last year trying to cross the middle of the Mediterranean, the deadliest route on any migration route in the world.
