On 15 February, the United Nations (UN) said dozens of refugees are believed to have died in a shipwreck off the coast of Libya. So far, there are only seven survivors of the wreck that was seemingly trying to reach Italy. The UN’s International Organization for Migration (IOM) said:
At least 73 migrants are reported missing and presumed dead following a tragic shipwreck off the Libyan coast yesterday.
The boat carrying 80 people had departed Qasr Al-Akhyar, some 75km (46 miles) east of the capital, Tripoli, and was heading to Europe. So far, the Libyan Red Crescent and local police have retrieved 11 bodies. The UN migration agency said that:
seven survivors who made it back to Libyan shores in extremely dire conditions are currently in the hospital.
