Only 13 survivors from capsized boat carrying 74 refugees off Libya: UNHCR

UN bureau says dozens killed aft a vessel carrying mostly Sudanese refugees capsized adjacent the Libyan municipality of Tobruk.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees successful Libya said that lone 13 radical survived aft a vas carrying 74 people, mostly Sudanese refugees, capsized connected Tuesday disconnected the seashore of the eastbound Libyan municipality of Tobruk.

Dozens stay missing, it said successful a station connected societal media connected Wednesday.

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On Tuesday, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said astatine slightest 50 radical died aft the vas caught fire. The United Nations migration bureau said that it provided aesculapian enactment to 24 survivors.

“Because harmless and ineligible pathways are disposable to lone a precise tiny fig of people, the existent solution is to extremity the warfare successful Sudan truthful families tin instrumentality location successful information and not instrumentality these unsafe journeys,” UNHCR said.

UNHCR is profoundly saddened by a 2nd tragic vessel incidental disconnected Tobruk connected 13 September wherever a vas carrying 74 radical Mostly Sudanese refugees capsized.

Only 13 radical survived & dozens stay missing.

Our condolences to the families & loved ones of those who mislaid their lives pic.twitter.com/GaVSBiQtJU

— UNHCR Libya (@UNHCRLibya) September 17, 2025

The warfare successful Sudan betwixt the service and paramilitary forces has pushed much than 140,000 refugees into Libya successful the past 2 years, astir doubling the fig of Sudanese refugees successful the country.

The catastrophe was the latest to befall refugees and migrants making the perilous Mediterranean crossing from Africa to Europe.

In August, astatine slightest 27 radical died aft 2 boats sank disconnected the confederate Italian land of Lampedusa, while successful June, astatine slightest 60 refugees and migrants were feared missing and drowned astatine oversea aft 2 shipwrecks disconnected the seashore of Libya.

At slightest 456 radical died and 420 were reported missing on the cardinal Mediterranean way betwixt January 1 and September 13, according to the IOM.

Libya, location to astir 867,055 migrants, has emerged arsenic a transit way for migrants oregon refugees trying to scope Europe since the autumn of Libyan person Muammar Gaddafi successful 2011.

Since his overthrow, Libya has struggled to signifier a beardown authorities aft years of dictatorship. The state is presently divided betwixt 2 rival governments, with rival militias often coming into struggle successful the oil-rich country.

Rights groups and UN agencies person documented systematic maltreatment against refugees and migrants successful Libya, including torture, rape and extortion.