Rome, Jan 7 (EFE). A migrant distress hotline reported on Sunday that at least 78 people lost their lives in two shipwrecks in the Central Mediterranean at the close of 2023.
The incidents occurred off Zuwarah and Sabratha – the two Libyan locations from where the most precarious boats usually depart – on Dec 28 and 29, said Alarm Phone, an emergency telephone line aiding migrants in distress.
“We can now confirm that two boats capsized at the end of 2023, with at least 78 people losing their lives off Zuwarah and Sabratha,” the organization wrote on social media network X,
“This mass dying is happening while Italy orders the civilfleet to faraway ports of safety and the Libyan coastguard is extending their area of operation to force people back to Libya,” it added.
Alarm Phone criticized Italy’s far-right government, led by Giorgia Meloni, for complicating rescue operations by ordering civil fleets to distant ports and expanding the area of operation for the Libyan coastguard, forcing people back to Libya.
Several NGOs, including Open Arms, Médecins Sans Frontières, and Sea Eye, faced fines and detentions for non-compliance with regulations, preventing them from conducting rescue operations.
“Our condolences and solidarity to those who lost their loved one’s at Europe’s murderous borders,” said Alarm Phone.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) reported that between Dec. 24 and 30, 2023, 1,234 migrants were intercepted and returned to Libya.
Throughout the year, 17,025 interceptions occurred, resulting in 1,974 deaths and at least 1,372 disappearances.
Alarm Phone operates as an emergency telephone line managed by volunteers across several countries, ing rescue operations by notifying relevant authorities when migrants in distress them. EFE
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