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Many Pakistani Migrants Feared Drowned Off Libyan Coast


The bodies of 74 migrants who drowned in the Mediterranean trying to reach Europe after they washed up on a beach near Zawiyah on Libya’s northern coast, in February 2017.
The bodies of 74 migrants who drowned in the Mediterranean trying to reach Europe after they washed up on a beach near Zawiyah on Libya’s northern coast, in February 2017.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) says at least 90 people are feared dead after a boat carrying migrants capsized in the Mediterranean Sea.

"At least 90 migrants are reported to have drowned when a boat capsized off the coast of Libya this morning", the IOM said in a statement on February 2.

It said that the bodies of 10 people -- eight Pakistanis and two Libyans -- were "reported to have washed up on Libyan shores."

Two survivors swam to shore while another was rescued by a fishing boat, IOM said.

Most of the migrants onboard were from Pakistan, according to the survivors.

The agency has warned repeatedly over the extreme dangers facing migrants who try to reach Europe via the so-called central Mediterranean route, which connects Libya to Italy.

Based on reporting by AP and dpa

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