A boat carrying dozens of Europe-bound migrants capsized off Libya’s coast, drowning two women and three children, a UN official said Wednesday.
A spokesman for the International Organization for Migration, Safa Msehli, said the maritime mishap took place late Tuesday as a fishing boat and Libya’s coast guard managed to rescue some 77 migrants and returned them to shore.
A total of 400 migrants were intercepted and returned to Libya late Tuesday, Msehli said, adding that they were taken to detention centers in Libya.
At least 480 migrants were intercepted and returned to Libya over the weekend, according to the IOM.