At least 15 Sudanese refugees drowned and more than 20 remain missing after a boat carrying them capsized in the Mediterranean Sea on Saturday, while 63 others were rescued in an attempt to reach Greece illegally.
The Libyan Coast Guard confirmed via its official Facebook page that it had rescued 63 Sudanese migrants off the coast of Tobruk, without providing further details.
Mubarak Mohamed Abdullah, a member of the Sudanese community in Benghazi, told Darfur24 that about 100 young men departed from Tobruk early Saturday, bound for Greece. High waves caused the boat to sink, though the Libyan Coast Guard managed to save most of the passengers.
He noted that all of the deceased were from Sudan’s Gezira State, particularly the villages of Sedeira, Managil, Al-Aseilat, Al-Quwaiz, Al-Dilayta, Wad Bakhit, and Al-Dabeiba.
A survivor who missed the ill-fated journey said the group traveled in an inflatable boat after paying 13,000 Libyan dinars each—equivalent to around five million Sudanese pounds.
“The Libyan authorities transferred the bodies to Benghazi hospital morgue, while the survivors were taken to the Qanfouda detention center under the Anti-Illegal Migration Agency,” the survivor said. Rescue teams have continued searching for the missing since Saturday.
Relatives of one of the victims disputed earlier reports claiming 50 deaths, confirming instead that the toll stands at 15, all from Gezira State.
