North African countries such as Libya have seen migrants embark on often fatal attempts to reach Europe

Libyan authorities have recovered the bodies of 47 irregular migrants who drowned off the country’s coast this week, according to a Libyan spokesman on Wednesday.

Coast Guard spokesman Mohamed Ali said 11 bodies of drowned migrants were retrieved in Alkarboli, east of the capital Tripoli, on Tuesday.

“The Coast Guard managed to rescue about 61 migrants from Syria, Pakistan, Bangladesh and some African countries,” he told Anadolu.

The Libyan Red Crescent Society, for its part, said the bodies of 36 migrants were recovered in Sabratha, west of Tripoli, after their boats capsized off the city’s shores.

For years, North African countries such as Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco and Mauritania have seen migrants – mainly from sub-Saharan Africa – embark on often fatal attempts to reach Europe in hopes of a better life.

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