Another Tragedy on the “Route of Death”: 11 Victims Found off the Libyan Coast, Bodies in Advanced Decomposition

Eleven bodies have been found in the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Libya by an aircraft searching for migrant vessels in distress, the NGO SOS Mediterranee said on Friday.

According to the organization, the crew of the Albatross aircraft spotted several of the bodies, while others were still wearing life jackets. All the victims were in an advanced state of decomposition.

The aircraft is operated by SOS Mediterranee in cooperation with the Humanitarian Pilots Initiative as part of efforts to identify and report emergencies along the Mediterranean migration route.

The Italian Coast Guard confirmed that it had been notified by NGOs on Thursday morning about the discovery of the 11 bodies, around 57 nautical miles, or approximately 106 kilometers, from the Libyan city of Zuwara.

Italian authorities said the bodies were in an advanced state of decomposition and that the area where they were found falls within the Libyan Coast Guard’s area of responsibility. They said the information was immediately passed on to the relevant Libyan authorities.

However, it has not yet been disclosed whether the Libyan side took any action following the notification.

SOS Mediterranee stressed that the circumstances and exact time of the shipwreck that may have caused the deaths of the 11 people remain unclear.

The organization described the discovery as further evidence of the tragic human consequences of European migration policies, which it said are characterized by curbing migration “at all costs” and the lack of an adequate humanitarian response.

The bodies were found along one of the world’s most dangerous migration routes. The central Mediterranean route, used by thousands of people attempting to reach Europe from North Africa, has recorded a high number of deaths and missing persons over the years.

According to data from the International Organization for Migration, part of the United Nations system, at least 872 people have died or been reported missing in the Mediterranean since the beginning of this year.

The latest figures once again underscore the scale of the humanitarian crisis along this route, where journeys in unsafe vessels continue to claim lives.