Tobruk (Diplomat.so) - Al-Aabireen Migrant Assistance and Humanitarian Services Foundation reported on Wednesday, 24 June, that the death toll from a migrant boat capsizing off the eastern Tobruk coast in the Mediterranean Sea has risen to 26 after new bodies were recovered along multiple shoreline points between Ain al-Ghazala and Bo Aqteefa.
Recovery operations stretched across several coastal locations east and west of Tobruk following a series of discoveries spanning three consecutive days. According to local rescue documentation, initial recoveries began on Monday, 22 June, when six bodies were retrieved in separate incidents, including two on the Tafsha shoreline in Ain al-Ghazala and four more off the same coastal area near 60 kilometres west of Tobruk. Additional recoveries on Tuesday, 23 June, included four bodies, three of them along Al-Qardaba beach about 45 kilometres west of Tobruk and one further body off Ain al-Ghazala.
On Wednesday, 24 June, rescue teams recovered five additional bodies, including four on Ain al-Ghazala beach and one at Bo Aqteefa near Al-Qardaba. Authorities said the repeated appearance of bodies along a wide coastal strip indicates strong maritime currents dispersing victims over long distances. Earlier assessments also recorded 11 bodies washed ashore on Tuesday, contributing to the cumulative toll of 26 confirmed fatalities.
Ten Sudanese survivors were rescued from the capsized vessel and remain in stable condition. They were identified by rescue officials as Karam Allah Abdulkadir Muhammad Ahmad, Imad Al-Awad Al-Amin Ali, Abdulhalim Al-Safi Abdulhalim, Abdulrahman Muhammad Abdulrahman, Munir Ibrahim Adam, Suleiman Muhammad Suleiman, Ali Saleh Abdullah Musa, Omar Jamal Ahmad Nasih, Muhammad Abdulaziz Abdulhafiz, and Musab Abakar Yusuf.
A coastal security source involved in search operations said teams were maintaining continuous patrols due to shifting currents. He stated, "We cannot rule out that additional bodies will continue to appear along the coastline in the coming days as sea conditions remain unstable.” He added that joint units from maritime rescue and local police were coordinating daily sweeps between Tobruk and surrounding districts.
Medical personnel at Tobruk Medical Centre confirmed that all recovered bodies were in a severely decomposed state, complicating identification efforts. A medical official said, "Due to the condition of the bodies, they are buried immediately or within a day for public health and safety reasons.”
The incident highlights the persistent risks of migration routes across the central Mediterranean, where Libya remains a major departure and transit point for migrants fleeing conflict and economic hardship in parts of Africa. Humanitarian observers note that limited rescue capacity and unpredictable sea conditions continue to contribute to recurring maritime fatalities.
Authorities and rescue teams are expected to continue shoreline monitoring as shifting currents raise concerns that additional victims may still be unaccounted for along the eastern Libyan coast.
