A group of 93 illegal migrants had been intercepted on their way to Europe in the Mediterranean and returned to Libya by the coast guard, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said on Saturday, adding that that six of the passengers had died and a female passenger gave birth during the attempted passage
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 27th June, 2020) A group of 93 illegal migrants had been intercepted on their way to Europe in the Mediterranean and returned to Libya by the coast guard, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said on Saturday, adding that that six of the passengers had died and a female passenger gave birth during the attempted passage.
"Last night, 93 migrants were returned to Khums, #Libya by the coast guard. Among them was a woman who gave birth on the rubber dinghy. Migrants reported to IOM staff that 6 people have died along the journey," IOM Libya wrote on Twitter.
According to the statement, all rescued migrants were released after disembarkation.
The so-called Mediterranean route is one of the most popular, but also the most dangerous tracks of irregular migration to the European continent. Thousands of illegal migrants risk their lives embarking upon a sea passage on unsafe, decrepit boats not designed for such long transfers and often operated by smugglers.
According to IOM's Missing Migrants project, 365 migrants have died in the Mediterranean since January.
