CAIRO: A migrant boat capsized early Friday off the coast of Libya, leaving at least 15 Egyptians dead, according to Libyan officials.
The boat was bound for Europe and was carrying dozens when it capsized around 2 a.m. near the eastern Libyan town of Tobruk, according to Marwan al-Shaeri, the media spokesperson of general administration of the coast guard in Tobruk.
Al-Shaeri confirmed that all those known to have died were Egyptian nationals. The crews were able to rescue two Sudanese crewmembers, but a third is still missing.
He told The Associated Press that the sea is not suitable for any sailing activity but couldn’t say why the boat capsized.
It was unclear how many people were still missing. Local aid group Abreen, which tracks migrant activity, said early Friday afternoon on Facebook that 10 people survived the incident.
Libya is a dominant transit point for migrants fleeing war and poverty in Africa and the Middle East. Drowning incidents near the country’s coast have been common. In December, at least 61 migrants, including women and children, drowned off the town of Zuwara on Libya’s western coast.
According to the missing migrants project run by the International Organization for Migration, at least 434 migrants have been reported dead and 611 missing off Libya in the past eight months. More than 14,100 migrants were intercepted and returned to the chaos-stricken country.
Libya was plunged into chaos following a NATO-backed uprising that toppled and killed longtime autocrat Moammar Gadhafi in 2011.