Al-Khamis al-Bosaifi, a Red Crescent Official, on Friday confirmed that bodies of 85 migrants, who drowned trying to cross the Mediterranean, were found washed up on beaches in western Libya near the city of Zuwara on Thursday.
He said in Tripoli that hundreds of migrants died in boat accidents last week as departures from the North African coast towards Italy surged.
al-Bosaifi said many of the boats were believed to have left from the shore around Zuwara and Sabratha in Libya’s northwest.
He said most of the migrants appeared to be from sub-Saharan Africa, though their bodies were decomposed and it was not clear when they had drowned.
“The bodies of two children were among those recovered.
al-Bosaifi said so far this year more than 40,000 migrants have crossed the Mediterranean Sea from North Africa to Italy by paying people smugglers for the journey, broadly in line with a steep increase in numbers since 2014.
He said smugglers in Libya have exploited political chaos and lawlessness to expand their activities along routes from sub-Saharan Africa, often working with local militias.
al-Bosaifi noted that migrants paid smugglers hundreds of dollars for a place on boats, often flimsy inflatable craft that either sink or are picked up by international rescue missions.