A massive tragedy occurred in the Mediterranean Sea as a refugee boat headed towards Italy from Libya capsized near the Tunisian coast on May 10. According to reports, around 60 people ended up dead or missing. The boat was carrying 75 people who were fleeing the latest round of fighting in Libya.
The majority of the people on the boat were migrant workers from Bangladesh. The Bangladeshi embassy in Tripoli confirmed the death of 37 Bangladeshi migrants in the tragedy. Around 16 people were rescued by Tunisian fishermen and brought to a shelter in Zarzis.
The International Organization for Migration called the incident the ‘deadliest migrant boat sinking’ since the beginning of this year. According to the UN refugee agency, about 164 people have died on the route between Libya and Europe in the first four months of 2019.
Thousands have drowned among the tens of thousands of migrants who have been attempting to seek refuge in Europe as overcrowded and unseaworthy boats often capsize in the rough waters of the Mediterranean. Most of them are from war-torn north African States, especially Libya, and the conflict zones in West Asia.
