Shipwreck off Libya coast kills 70 migrants

A devastating shipwreck has claimed the lives of more than 70 migrants Thursday off the coast of Khums, Libya, said the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

IOM said in a press release that the boat was reported to be carrying over 120 people. 47 survivors have been brought to shore by the coast guard and fishermen, and 31 bodies have been retrieved while the search for victims continues.

The shipwreck was the latest in a series of tragedies involving at least eight other shipwrecks in the Central Mediterranean since Oct. 1, IOM said.

According to IOM, so far this year, at least 900 people have drowned in the Mediterranean trying to reach European shores.

IOM said it has recorded a recent upsurge in departures from Libya with some 1,900 being intercepted and returned, and over 780 arrivals in Italy from Libya since the beginning of October alone.