Seven individuals were saved, and 17 bodies were discovered following a boat malfunction near Libya’s eastern shoreline, as per the Libyan Red Crescent. The rescue mission, lasting over eight hours, was executed by a patrol vessel from Tobruk’s naval base after the passengers were stranded at sea for eight days in challenging conditions. The operation, which involved coordination with naval units and the Coast Guard in eastern Libya, was detailed in a statement by the organization.
Libya, being a key transit point for irregular migrants due to its proximity to Europe and extensive Mediterranean coastline, witnesses heightened crossings between March and September, benefiting from calmer weather for safer journeys to the northern shore, as reported by Xinhua news agency. The Red Crescent, in collaboration with naval forces and coast guards of the Libyan National Army, rescued seven survivors during the recovery efforts near Tobruk city in eastern Libya, close to the Egyptian border.
Previously, on April 19, the Libyan Red Crescent had announced the rescue of four undocumented migrants and the recovery of six bodies after a rubber boat capsized off Tobruk’s coast following an urgent distress call. Search operations were ongoing for other missing persons, with no immediate disclosure of the migrants’ nationalities or the total number aboard. The International Organization for Migration disclosed that 27,116 migrants had been intercepted and returned to Libya in 2025, with 1,314 migrants reported dead or missing along the central Mediterranean route during the same timeframe, highlighting it as one of the most perilous migration paths globally.
