18 migrants die in shipwreck off eastern Libya, 50 missing
At least 18 migrants died in a shipwreck off the city of Tobruk in eastern Libya over the weekend, and 50 are still missing, the International Organization for Migration said on Tuesday, citing reports.
Ten survivors have been accounted for so far, the IOM said. Tobruk is a coastal city near the border with Egypt.
A diplomatic source from the Egyptian consulate in Benghazi in eastern Libya told Reuters by phone that the migrants are from Egypt.
The diplomat said 10 bodies were identified and transferred back home, while the survivors were being held in an anti-illegal migration facility.
A Libyan Coast Guard official said the bodies of migrants were found in Alaghila Beach, some 25 kilometers east of Tobruk.
Since the toppling of Muammar Gaddafi in a NATO-backed uprising in 2011, Libya has become a transit country for migrants fleeing conflict and poverty across the desert and over the Mediterranean to Europe.
"This latest tragedy is a stark reminder of the deadly risks people are forced to take in search of safety and opportunity. Libya remains a major transit point for migrants and refugees, many of whom face exploitation, abuse, and life-threatening journeys," the IOM said.
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Express Tribune
4 days ago
- Express Tribune
18 migrants die in shipwreck off eastern Libya, 50 missing
Listen to article At least 18 migrants died in a shipwreck off the city of Tobruk in eastern Libya over the weekend, and 50 are still missing, the International Organization for Migration said on Tuesday, citing reports. Ten survivors have been accounted for so far, the IOM said. Tobruk is a coastal city near the border with Egypt. A diplomatic source from the Egyptian consulate in Benghazi in eastern Libya told Reuters by phone that the migrants are from Egypt. The diplomat said 10 bodies were identified and transferred back home, while the survivors were being held in an anti-illegal migration facility. A Libyan Coast Guard official said the bodies of migrants were found in Alaghila Beach, some 25 kilometers east of Tobruk. Since the toppling of Muammar Gaddafi in a NATO-backed uprising in 2011, Libya has become a transit country for migrants fleeing conflict and poverty across the desert and over the Mediterranean to Europe. "This latest tragedy is a stark reminder of the deadly risks people are forced to take in search of safety and opportunity. Libya remains a major transit point for migrants and refugees, many of whom face exploitation, abuse, and life-threatening journeys," the IOM said.
Business Recorder
5 days ago
- Business Recorder
Food arrives in Gaza after Israel pauses some fighting
GAZA CITY: Truckloads of food reached hungry Gazans on Monday after Israel promised to open secure aid routes, but humanitarian agencies warned vast amounts more were needed to stave off starvation. With Gaza's population of more than two million facing famine and malnutrition, Israel bowed to international pressure at the weekend and announced a daily 'tactical pause' in fighting in some areas. 'For the first time, I received about five kilos of flour, which I shared with my neighbour,' said 37-year-old Jamil Safadi, who shelters with his wife, six children and a sick father in a tent near the Al-Quds hospital in Tel al-Hawa. Safadi, who has been up before dawn for two weeks searching for food, said Monday was his first success. Other Gazans were less fortunate; some complained aid trucks had been stolen or that guards had fired at them near US-backed aid centres. 'I saw injured and dead people. People have no choice but to try daily to get flour. What entered from Egypt was very limited,' said 33-year-old Amir al-Rash, still without food and living in a tent. Israel imposed a blockade on Gaza on March 2 after talks to extend a six-week ceasefire broke down. Nothing was allowed into the territory until late May, when a trickle of aid resumed. UN aid chief welcomes 'humanitarian pauses' in Gaza Now, the Israeli defence ministry's civil affairs agency says the UN and aid agencies had been able to pick up 120 truckloads of aid on Sunday and distribute it inside Gaza, with more on the way Monday. Basic supplies Jordan and the United Arab Emirates have begun air-dropping aid packages by parachute over Gaza, while Egypt has sent trucks through its Rafah border crossing to an Israeli post just inside Gaza. The UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, cautiously welcomed Israel's 'humanitarian pauses' but warned Gaza needed at least 500 to 600 trucks of basic food, medicine and hygiene supplies daily. 'We hope that UNRWA will finally be allowed to bring in thousands of trucks loaded with food, medicine and hygiene supplies. They are currently in Jordan and Egypt waiting for the green light,' the agency said. 'Opening all the crossings and flooding Gaza with assistance is the only way to avert further deepening of starvation among the people of Gaza.' Aid trucks move from Egypt to Gaza after Israel said it began airdrops Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has strongly denied Israel was deliberately starving civilians as part of its intense 21-month-old war to crush the Palestinian group Hamas. Military spokesmen say the UN and aid agencies should quickly make use of the lull in fighting and secure aid routes, urging them to pick up and distribute aid delivered to Gaza border crossings. 'An additional 180 trucks entered Gaza and are now awaiting collection and distribution, along with hundreds of others still queued for UN pickup,' said COGAT, a defence ministry body that oversees Palestinian affairs. 'More consistent collection and distribution by UN agencies and international organisations equals more aid reaching those who need it most in Gaza.' UNRWA insisted it was ready to step up distribution, with 10,000 staff inside Gaza, waiting for deliveries. 'According to our latest data one in every five children is malnourished in Gaza City. More children have reportedly died of hunger; bringing the death toll of starving people to over 100,' the statement said. Over the weekend aid trucks began arriving from Egypt and Jordan and dropping their loads at distribution platforms just inside Gaza, ready to be picked up by agencies working inside the war-shattered territory. But their number still falls far short of what is needed, aid agencies warn, calling for a permanent ceasefire, the reopening of more border crossings and a long-term large-scale humanitarian operation. Field hospital C-section Truce talks between Israel and Hamas – mediated by Egypt, Qatar and the United States – have stumbled, and Netanyahu remains determined to push on with the campaign to destroy Hamas and recover Israeli hostages held in Gaza. Gaza's civil defence agency said 16 people were killed by Israeli fire Monday. Agency spokesman Mahmud Bassal said they included five people killed in an overnight strike on a residential building in the southern Gaza district of Al-Mawasi. A pregnant woman was among the dead, according to the Palestinian Red Crescent, which said its teams saved the woman's foetus by performing a Caesarean section in a field hospital. The violence in Gaza came against the backdrop of a UN conference in New York where France and Saudi Arabia will lead a diplomatic effort to revive the moribund push for a two-state peace deal between Israel and the Palestinians.
Express Tribune
24-07-2025
- Express Tribune
Soviet-era passenger plane crashes in Russia's far east killing all 48 on board
A view shows the debris of an Angara Airlines An-24 passenger aircraft at the crash site near Tynda in the Amur Region, Russia July 24, 2025, in this still image taken from video Photo: Reuters Listen to article An Antonov An-24 passenger plane carrying 48 people crashed in Russia's far east on Thursday as it was preparing to land, killing everyone on board in an incident that spotlighted the continued use of old, Soviet-era aircraft. The burning fuselage of the plane, which was made in 1976, was spotted by a search helicopter after it disappeared from radar screens. It had been attempting to land for a second time after failing to touch down on its first approach, the Far Eastern Transport Prosecutor's Office said in a statement. Operated by the privately owned Siberian regional airline Angara, it had been en route from the city of Blagoveshchensk near the Chinese border to Tynda, an important railway junction in the Amur region. It was carrying 42 passengers, including five children, and six crew. Also Read: Taliban committing 'rights violations' against Afghan returnees: UN The regional governor and federal investigators confirmed that everyone on board had been killed. Investigators said they had opened a criminal case into the suspected violation of air traffic and air transport rules, resulting in the death of more than two people through negligence. The plane had recently passed a technical safety inspection, Russian news agencies reported, and had been involved in four apparently minor incidents since 2018. The crash is likely to raise new questions about the viability of continuing to fly such old planes in far-flung corners of Russia at a time when Western sanctions have crimped Moscow's ability to access investment and spare parts. It may also prompt other countries that operate the aircraft to review their fleets. North Korea, Kazakhstan, Laos, Cuba, Ethiopia, Myanmar and Zimbabwe operate the An-24, according to the authoritative RussianPlanes web-portal. Video shot from a helicopter showed pale smoke rising from the crash site in a densely forested hilly area around 15 km (10 miles) from Tynda. There were no roads to the site and a rescue team had to use heavy machinery to cut a path there. Read More: Bangladesh air force jet crash kills 27, mostly children President Vladimir Putin expressed his condolences to the families of those killed and held a minute's silence at the start of a government meeting. At least one Chinese citizen was reported to have been on board and Chinese President Xi Jinping sent his condolences to Putin. Moscow said it had set up a commission to deal with the aftermath in addition to the criminal and air safety investigations. A representative of Angara said they could not offer any more details. 'Flying Tractors' Angara is based in the Siberian city of Irkutsk and serves airports in Siberia and Russia's far east. Before Thursday's crash, it operated 10 An-24s built between 1972 and 1976, according to RussianPlanes. It was one of two Siberian airlines that last year asked the Russian government to extend the service life of the Antonov aircraft, as Russian planemakers scramble to plug the gap left by an exodus of foreign manufacturers. Nicknamed "flying tractors" by some, the propeller-driven An-24s are regarded as reliable workhorses inside Russia and are well-suited to Siberia as they are able to operate in sub-zero conditions and don't have to land on runways. But airline executives, pilots and industry experts say the cost of maintaining the Antonovs — which make up a fraction of Russia's fleet of over 1,000 passenger planes — has increased after Western sanctions against Russia over its war in Ukraine hit investment and access to parts. Also Read: International media organisations raise alarm as journalists in Gaza face starvation Almost 1,340 An-24 planes were built in the Soviet Union. Eighty-eight have now been lost because of crashes and 65 because of serious incidents without casualties, and 75 are currently in operation, according to data from the RussianPlanes web-portal and Reuters analysis. Their age has long been of concern. Dmitry Medvedev, then president, proposed grounding Russia's An-24 fleet in 2011 after one of them crashed in Siberia, killing seven people. Many of the planes are due to be retired from service in the coming years, but mass production of the new Ladoga aircraft, the same class as the An-24, is not due to begin until 2027 at the earliest.
