At least 60 migrants dead after two boats sink off Libya's coast

At least 60 migrants, including women and children, have died after two boats sank off the coast of Libya, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said.

The first tragedy occurred on June 12 near Al-Shaab port in western Libya. According to survivor testimonies, 21 people went missing and only five survivors were found. Among the missing are six Eritreans (three women and three children), five Pakistanis, four Egyptians, and two Sudanese.

A second incident took place the following day, June 13, off the coast of Tobruk in eastern Libya. "According to the sole survivor, rescued by local fishermen, 39 people were lost at sea. In the days that followed, three bodies were recovered from the shore," the IOM stated.

Migrant boat sinkings are frequent off Libya’s coast, where human traffickers often pack people into unseaworthy vessels beyond their capacity, subjecting them to inhumane conditions.

Osman Belbeisi, the IOM’s regional director, renewed the organization’s call for the international community to step up search and rescue efforts and ensure the safe disembarkation of survivors.

According to IOM data, at least 743 people have died attempting to cross the Mediterranean since the beginning of 2025. Of those, 538 died along the Central Mediterranean route, which remains the deadliest migration path in the world due to increasingly dangerous smuggling practices, limited rescue capabilities, and tighter restrictions on humanitarian operations.

Departures from Libya to Italy have risen this year, surpassing those from neighboring Tunisia, which received €255 million in European aid in 2023 to step up efforts against irregular migration.

According to the UN refugee agency (UNHCR), as of June 15, arrivals on Italy's coast had increased by 15% year-on-year, with 26,781 migrants reaching Italy — 24,560 of them from Libya alone, compared to 1,505 from Tunisia.

Meanwhile, Tunisia’s National Guard spokesperson, Houssam Eddine Jebabli, told AFP that 32 unidentified bodies were recovered between June 1 and 11.