Egypt confirms its nationals among victims of migrant boat sinking off Libya's coast

By Hussien Elkabany and Rania Abu Shamala

CAIRO/ISTANBUL (AA) - Egypt announced Wednesday that a number of its citizens died while others survived following the sinking of a migrant boat off the coast of Tobruk in eastern Libya.

In a statement, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry said it is "closely following, in coordination with Libyan authorities, the incident of a boat sinking off the coast of Tobruk, which was carrying a number of Egyptian citizens," without specifying the number of victims or the time of the incident.

The statement added that the Egyptian Consulate General in Benghazi dispatched a delegation to Tobruk to coordinate with the relevant Libyan authorities and assess the status of the Egyptians who were on board the boat.

The ministry noted that efforts have led to the identification of several bodies and necessary procedures have been taken to transfer them to the land border crossing after being identified by their families in Egypt.

Meanwhile, the consulate is continuing coordination with the Libyan side to complete the transfer of other bodies whose identities are still being verified.

The consulate is also following up on the situation of several survivors in preparation for their repatriation to Egypt once ongoing investigations are concluded, according to the statement.

The ministry reaffirmed its continued coordination with the Consulate General in Benghazi to monitor all procedures related to the return of the victims and survivors, stressing “the need for citizens to avoid irregular migration routes due to the grave dangers involved.”

On Tuesday, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) announced that at least 18 irregular migrants had died, 10 survived and 50 remain missing following the sinking of a boat off the coast of Tobruk earlier this week.

Libyan media outlets quoted the IOM as saying that the incident highlights the deadly risks faced by irregular migrants transiting through Libya, which serves as a major crossing point to Europe.