22 Malian migrants died in boat disaster off Libya: UN

GENEVA: Twenty-two migrants, all from Mali, died in a boat disaster off the Libyan coast, the United Nations said on Tuesday, citing the survivors who reported victims dying of drowning and dehydration. After nine days at sea, 61 survivors, mostly from Mali, were rescued by the Libyan coastguard and brought back to shore, the UN’s International Organisation for Migration said.

The migrants embarked from the Libyan city of Zuwara, near the Tunisian border, on a rubber boat, at around 1:00 am (2300 GMT) local time on June 22, said IOM spokeswoman Safa Msehli. "After nine days at sea, they were picked up by the Libyan coastguard," she said. They were brought back to shore on Saturday.