The UN announced Tuesday that 22 migrants, including three children from Mali, were killed in a shipwreck off Libya's coast.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM), said that 61 survivors from Mali were rescued by the Libyan Coast Guard after nine days at sea in their dinghy.
According to Safa Msehli, IOM spokeswoman, the migrants boarded the boat near the Tunisian border in Zuwara, Libya.
She added that after nine days at sea they were finally picked up by the Libyan Coast Guard. They were brought to shore on Saturday.
According to survivors, 22 migrants from Mali died on the way. Dehydration and drowning are the most common causes of death. Three children are among the dead," said the spokesperson.
She said that there were 61 survivors, most of them Malians. She said that the remaining migrants were taken to Al-Maya's detention center.
In a press release, the Ministry of Malians Established Abroad issued Tuesday a call to "all of our people" for help in fighting irregular migration.
In 2011, the chaos following the overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi's government made Libya an attractive destination for thousands of migrants from sub Saharan Africa, Arab and South Asia looking to reach Europe via the Italian coasts. These coasts are about 300km from Libya's coasts.
Many thousand are stranded in Libya in poor conditions, often in terrible conditions.
When they don't die trying to cross the Mediterranean at risk, migrants are likely to take advantage of them. NGOs regularly target Libya for the cruel treatment of migrants.
According to IOM, over 6,340 migrants were intercepted since the beginning of the year and brought back to Libya. According to IOM, at least 129 people died trying to cross the border and 459 others are missing and presumed dead.
