Dozen Egyptian migrants feared dead off Libyan coast, security sources say

A dozen Egyptian migrants are feared dead after their boat capsized off the coast of the eastern Libyan town of Tobruk on Monday, two Egyptian security sources said, while one man was rescued from the shipwreck.

The 13 men had set off for Italy in a people smugglers' boat on Sunday night, the sources said, citing information from the surviving man via Libyan authorities.

Al-Abreen, a group that provides humanitarian assistance to migrants in Libya, said on Facebook that the boat capsized 60 kilometers (37 miles) east of Tobruk.

The Directorate for Combating Illegal Migration in Tobruk also confirmed the incident.

Last month, a migrant boat carrying 32 people capsized off the Libyan coast due to engine failure, leaving one person confirmed dead and 22 others missing, according to Libyan authorities.

The coast guard in Tobruk said nine people were rescued.

Al-Abreen said the boat was bound for Europe and was carrying migrants from Egypt and Syria.

The group, who hailed from Egypt's al-Sharkia and al-Gharbia provinces, were among a growing number of Egyptians attempting dangerous sea journeys toward Europe as the population struggles to deal with high inflation and unemployment.

Libya became key transit route for migrants fleeing conflict and poverty to Europe across the Mediterranean following the toppling of Muammar Gaddafi in a NATO-backed uprising in 2011.

As of Monday, there have been 531 reported migrant deaths and 754 missing migrants on the Central Mediterranean route in 2024, the International Organization for Migration Libya told news agency the Associated Press (AP) on Tuesday.

Last year, 962 migrants died and 1,563 went missing off Libya, the IOM previously said.

About 17,200 migrants were intercepted and sent back to Libya in 2023, the organization said.

Oil-rich Libya is home to 761,322 migrants from 44 nationalities, according to data collected in mid-2024, U.N. figures show.