3 February 2017 News

DROWNED MIGRANTS ON LIBYAN BEACHES

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**EDS NOTE - VIDEO CONTAINS GRAPHIC CONTENT**

Libya is one of the departures points for migrants to reach Europe. The Mediterranean Sea claims many lives as these migrants try this perilous crossing. According to UNHCR, an estimated 5000 have died in 2016 – the deadliest year ever - while attempting the crossing. 

Libya is one of the departures points for migrants to reach Europe. The Mediterranean Sea claims many lives as these migrants try this perilous crossing. According to UNHCR, an estimated 5000 have died in 2016 – the deadliest year ever - while attempting the crossing.

While many bodies are never recovered, some wash up on the southern shores of the Mediterranean where they had left from.

The gruesome task of collecting theses bodies is done by the Red crescent in Zuwarah, North West Libya. On the Mangoub beach at the entrance of the town of Zuwarah the Red Crescent collected the bodies washed up last week on their beaches.

At the informal meeting of the European Union in Malta, the European commission will present a number of measures to manage and strengthen the work along the central migration route with Libya.  With the high number of lives lost at sea and along the Central Mediterranean migration route, the question of managing flows and saving lives remains a top priority for the European Union. 

Various Bodies beaches

Red Crescent collecting information on bodies

Laying out body bags

Tagging body bags

Various wide 

Various Bodies beaches 

sea Red Crescent pick up body bags

ITW Arabic


Red Crescent pick up bodies

Digging up Bodies

ITW Arabic


Various wide many body bags

Travelling shot shoreline 

The bodies of migrants, lying on the beaches of the southern shores of the Mediterranean have tragically become a common occurrence in the town of Zuwarah in western Libya,

Along these beaches, 160 bodies have been recovered in 2016, according the Red Crescent Society in Zuwarah

ITV: Arabic; Sami Musa a citizen of the town of Zuwarah

“I live near the sea, and sometimes we find the bodies, the foul smell of these corpses have an impact on our health and our society. This phenomenon is of concern to us, it’s a human tragedy for all these victims. I have become afraid for my children, I don’t want to go to sea anymore, and I'm afraid for them from diseases and viruses transmitted from the decomposition of corpses”

For the Mayor Essa Saaed Salem the issue of these migrants is twofold;

ITV: Arabic; Essa Saeed Salem mayor in charge of Zuwarah

“Zuwarah municipality has completely eliminated the phenomenon of migration from the city and its beaches, the anti-crime office is fighting this phenomenon. But the problem of the corpses carried by ocean currents towards the shores of the city remains and we are facing this problem with difficulty; Dealing with the backlog of corpses is not easy, these are human beings like us, we must respect their religion and their humanity and documenting their death for their family. We call on help from the international community to help the coastal towns adjacent to intensify efforts to curb immigration and to help us”

Despite the security cordon imposed on the city beach, the people of Zuwarah wonder what and when this tragedy will end. 

3 February 2017