Nine Bangladeshis die crossing Mediterranean to Greece

Nine Bangladeshi migrants have died while attempting to cross the Mediterranean Sea from Libya to Greece illegally. Another 29 are undergoing treatment at the Marsa Matruh General Hospital in Egypt.

The Bangladesh embassy in Cairo confirmed the matter on Sunday. According to embassy sources, a rubber boat carrying migrants from Tobruk, Libya, to Greece lost its way and reached the coast of Marsa Matruh, Egypt. Local police rescued 29 migrants from the boat, of whom 18 were hospitalised in critical condition.

The embassy said its First Secretary (Labour) contacted police and hospital authorities after learning of the incident. Police confirmed that 29 migrants are currently receiving treatment.

With the help of a hospital staff member, embassy officials spoke to injured Bangladeshi migrant Abdul Karim. He told them that 42 people — 38 Bangladeshis and four Sudanese — had set off from Tobruk on August 3 for Greece in a rubber boat. The boat was engine-powered but lacked proper navigation equipment.