Bodies of 28 Migrants Wash Ashore on Libya’s Mediterranean Coast

The Red Crescent announced Sunday that the bodies of 28 migrants were found floating in the Mediterranean Sea and washed ashore late Saturday at two locations near the Libyan coastal town of Khoms, about 66 miles east of the capital Tripoli. Three migrants were rescued, and search efforts were underway to find others. for others. The bodies were taken to the Khoms Teaching Hospital morgue. Authorities in Libya have recently cracked down on the presence of illegal migrants in Tripoli, spurring a surge in attempts to make the treacherous sea journey to Europe. Around 1,500 migrants have died trying to cross the central Mediterranean this year, according to the International Organization for Migration, the UN migration agency. Libya, since the 2011 uprising that removed from office and killed longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi, has become a popular place of embarkation for migrants fleeing Africa and seeking a better life in Europe.