The Libyan Red Crescent announced on Wednesday the recovery of 8 bodies of migrants in the Garabuli area – a coastal city located on the Mediterranean Sea in the northwest of the country, 65 kilometers away from the capital, Tripoli – and their transfer via the ambulance and emergency services, following a report from the area’s police department. They also reported rescuing 92 migrants who were transported by relevant authorities.

Earlier, Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders) released a video in which the Libyan Coast Guard, backed by the European Union, threatened to open fire on rescue workers in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea during the rescue operation of a boat carrying 69 migrants, including 9 women and 25 minors, in international waters near Libya.

According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), at least 2,836 deaths and disappearances have been documented on the Central Mediterranean route from 2021 until October 2022.

Since Libya serves as a key Mediterranean migration route, the number of Egyptian migrants has significantly increased in the country over the past three years. By the end of last year, Egyptians had become the predominant nationality among those reaching Italian shores after traversing the Mediterranean from Libya’s coastline.

According to data released by the IOM, the number of Egyptian migrants in Libya reached 117,156 individuals between December 2021 and January 2022.