90 migrants feared dead after boat capsizes off Libya
Most victims believed to be Pakistani, 3 people reported rescued
An estimated 90 migrants are feared to have drowned off the coast of Libya after a smuggler's boat capsized early on Friday, leaving three known survivors and 10 bodies washed up on shore, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said.
Survivors told aid workers that most of the migrants on the boat were Pakistanis, who form a growing group heading to Italy from North Africa, IOM spokesperson Olivia Headon, speaking from Tunis, said at a news briefing in Geneva.
"They have given an estimate of 90 who drowned during the capsize, but we still have to verify the exact number of people who lost their lives during the tragedy," she said.
"What has been reported to us is that it's mostly Pakistanis who were on board the boat, but we still need to verify the nationalities and how many from what country," she said.
Ten bodies have washed up on Libyan shores — two are known to be Libyans and eight are from Pakistani, she said.
"I believe the Libyan coast guard is looking for other survivors off the coast," Headon added.
Earlier, security officials in the western Libyan town of Zurawa said two Libyans and one Pakistani had been rescued from the boat.
Effort to halt departures
Zuwara, located near Libya's border with Tunisia, was a favoured site for migrant boat departures over the past two years, but of late has seen only occasional departures.
Libya is the main gateway for migrants trying to cross to Europe by sea, though numbers have dropped sharply since July as Libyan factions and authorities — under pressure from Italy and the European Union — have begun to block departures.
More than 600,000 people are believed to have made the journey from Libya to Italy over the past four years.
Prior to Friday's incident, some 6,624 migrants are believed to have arrived in Europe by sea this year and a further 246 have died, according to IOM figures.
The Libyan coast guard, which receives EU funding and training, has become more assertive in recent months in intercepting migrants and returning them to Libya.
Activists have criticized the policy, saying migrants often face extreme hardship and abuse in Libya, including forced labour, according to Human Rights Watch and other rights groups.
Migrants caught trying to cross to Italy are put in severely overcrowded detention centres authorized by the Interior Ministry.