Libya’s Red Crescent has confirmed that it assisted in a large-scale rescue mission after two boats carrying nearly 100 irregular migrants overturned off the Libyan shoreline, resulting in the deaths of four people.
According to the organisation, the four victims were part of a group of 26 Bangladeshis travelling on one of the vessels.
The second vessel was reportedly transporting 69 migrants mainly Sudanese nationals, with only two Egyptians among them including eight children.
The Red Crescent noted that no fatalities were recorded from that boat.
The humanitarian group explained that it received an emergency alert late Friday night indicating that two migrant boats had sunk in the Mediterranean.
Both vessels were said to have set sail from the coastal city of Khoms, located about 120 kilometres (75 miles) from the capital, Tripoli.
Late on Saturday, the Red Crescent released photographs showing rescued migrants being provided with medical attention, clothing, and blankets in Khoms, along with images of the body bags of the four deceased victims.
The organisation added that the rescue effort was carried out in collaboration with the Libyan coast guard and port authorities.
Libya continues to serve as a major migration passageway for thousands of people attempting dangerous sea crossings to Europe each year.
Earlier this week, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) reported that a separate boat departing from Libya had sunk, leaving 42 migrants unaccounted for and presumed dead.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees has documented more than 1,700 victims dead or missing this year alone along Mediterranean migration routes and the West African coast.
Data from Missing Migrants, an IOM project, indicates that approximately 33,000 migrants have lost their lives or disappeared in the Mediterranean since 2014.
