Six bodies of migrants recovered in southeast Libya, security directorate says

Libya's security authorities recovered the bodies ​of at least six migrants ​in the southeast of the ‌country ​after their vehicle broke down in the desert, the Alwahat Security Directorate said in a statement on ‌Tuesday. The Directorate said the bodies were recovered in a desert area about 200 km (124 miles) northwest of the town of Jalu.

Libya has become a transit route ‌for migrants fleeing conflict and poverty to Europe via dangerous routes across ‌the desert and over the Mediterranean since the toppling of former leader Muammar Gaddafi in a NATO-backed uprising in 2011. Two bodies were found inside the broken-down vehicle, three more were found ⁠about ​four km (2.5 miles) ⁠away from the vehicle, and one body was found about 10 km (six miles) away, after tracking ⁠their footprints, the Directorate said.

According to the vehicle documents, its owner was from ​Chad, the Directorate said. It added that in the same incident 19 migrants ⁠were rescued on Sunday, although it did not say where they were rescued.

According to the ⁠brother ​of the vehicle's owner, who was one of the 19 rescued migrants, there was another vehicle with them that took the fuel from the ⁠broken-down vehicle and continued the journey, the Directorate said. Pictures that the Directorate posted ⁠showed security staff accompanied ⁠by members of the Fifth Battalion of the 129th Brigade recovering the bodies in a desert area and placing ‌them in black ‌plastic bags.