A Libyan coast guard boat collided with a dingy carrying approximately 50 migrants just off the coast of Libya on Friday, causing the dingy to partially sink. Many of the migrants were thrown into the Mediterranean Sea and had to swim to a nearby Libyan ship for safety, according to a rescue group.
This incident is the latest example of the reckless interception of migrants by the Libyan coast guard, which is supported by the European Union to reduce the influx of migrants to Europe. Libya has become the primary transit point for migrants seeking a better future in Europe.
The German sea rescue group Sea-Watch released a video showing the Libyan coast guard boat approaching the dingy, resulting in most of the migrants falling into the water. Sea-Watch stated that the Libyan coast guard later transferred the migrants to another ship, a coast guard frigate.
TRAGEDY OFF THE LIBYAN COAST: MIGRANT BOAT SINKS ON ITS WAY TO EUROPE, AT LEAST 55 DEATHS REPORTED
There have been no reports of fatalities or missing individuals at this time.
Sea-Watch, which conducts rescue operations in the central Mediterranean, reported that the coast guard had been pursuing the rubber dingy since early Friday morning before colliding with it.
From their twin-engine Seabird aircraft, Sea-Watch rescuers repeatedly requested that the Libyan coast guard cease their pursuit of the dingy.
This is a locator map for Libya with its capital, Tripoli. (AP Photo)
The Sea-Watch video, filmed from the Seabird, shows the migrants who were thrown into the sea swimming towards the nearby frigate, while sailors throw buoyancy vests to them.
The remaining migrants on the sinking dingy were pulled towards the frigate and also brought on board. A spokesperson from the Libyan coast guard did not provide immediate comment on the incident.
According to Sea-Watch spokesperson Felix Wiess, the incident occurred approximately 30 miles north of Zuwara, a city in western Libya.
The civilian rescue ship Louise Michel arrived at the scene shortly after the incident and offered to take in the migrants, but the coast guard refused.
MIGRANTS STUCK AT THE TUNISIA-LIBYA BORDER TRANSFERRED BACK TO TUNISIA AFTER FACING DANGEROUS CONDITIONS
Since 2015, the EU has been financially supporting the Libyan coast guard to reduce the flow of migrants from the North African country to Italy.
In March, another rescue group, SOS Mediterranee, reported that the Libyan coast guard fired warning shots at them while attempting to rescue migrants from a crowded ship. In October 2022, Sea-Watch claimed that the coast guard threatened to shoot down their monitoring plane used to identify smugglers and migrant vessels.
Following a NATO-backed uprising in 2011 that resulted in the overthrow and death of longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi, oil-rich Libya descended into chaos.
Human traffickers have taken advantage of the instability in the North African country, smuggling migrants across Libya’s vast borders and bringing them to the coast, where they are crammed into poorly equipped rubber boats and other vessels for perilous sea journeys.
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In recent months, humanitarian vessels have faced increased difficulties operating due to the hard-line policies of Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. These policies often force the vessels to dock at northern ports after just one rescue, limiting their lifesaving capacity.
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