UN: Migrant boat capsizes off Libya, 57 thought dead
Cairo, Jul 27 (AP) A boat carrying migrants capsized off Libya on Monday, leaving at least 57 people presumed dead, a UN migration official said.
Safa Msehli, a spokesperson for the International Organization for Migration, said the boat left the western coastal town of Khums on Sunday. There were at least 75 migrants on board, she said.
Eighteen African migrants were rescued and returned to shore on Monday, she said.
The shipwreck was the latest disaster in the Mediterranean Sea involving migrants seeking a better life in Europe.
There has been a spike in crossings and attempted crossings from Libya in recent months. Amnesty International has said that in the first six months of this year, more than 7,000 people intercepted at sea were forcibly returned to detention camps in Libya. (AP)
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