61 bodies of migrants recovered in west of Libya’s Tripoli, medics center says

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TRIPOLI (Reuters) -At least 61 bodies of migrants have been recovered over the past two weeks on the coast west of the Libyan capital Tripoli, a medical center said in a statement on Saturday.

The Emergency Medicine and Support Center, under the health ministry, said that the bodies were recovered from the area from Zuwara to Ras Ijdir, near the border with Tunisia.

“Remains of three bodies were found in Mellitah and 12 bodies in Zuwara, all of them belonging to irregular migrants,” the center said.

Another group of 34 bodies was recovered in Zuwara, Abu Kammash and Mellitah, the center added.

It added that 12 bodies were buried, but some others were transported to the morgue for autopsies and documentation.

Pictures of medics were posted on the center’s verified Facebook page showing them recovering the bodies from the beaches and placing them in white plastic bags.

In mid-September, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said at least 50 people had died after a vessel carrying 75 Sudanese refugees caught fire off Libya’s coast.

According to IOM data, a total of 894,890 migrants from 45 nationalities across 100 Libyan municipalities were residing in the country.

Libya has become a transit route for migrants fleeing conflict and poverty to Europe across the Mediterranean since the fall in 2011 of dictator Muammar Gaddafi during a NATO-backed uprising.

(Reporting and writing by Ahmed Elumami; Editing by Alistair Bell)