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Bodies of 95 refugees wash up on Libya shores

The photo shows African refugees being rescued by the Libyan coastguard as they were trying to reach Europe, at a naval base near the capital, Tripoli, September 29, 2015. (Photo by AFP)

The Libyan Red Crescent says the bodies of nearly 100 refugees have washed up on the North African country’s shores over the past few days.

On Sunday, a spokesman for the Libyan Red Crescent, Mohamed al-Masrati, said 95 bodies had been found over the last five days on Libyan shores.

Masrati said 85 corpses had washed up near the Libyan capital, Tripoli, and another 10 near the Libyan coastal city of Sabartha.

According to the Red Crescent spokesman, most of the victims were refugees from other African countries, attempting to enter European states by setting off from Libya.

In recent months, thousands of refugees, mostly from Africa and the Middle East, have fled war and unrest in their countries in order to gain entry to wealthier European countries.

Many bodies belonging to asylum seekers have been washing up on the shores of Libya, Greece, and Turkey in recent months.

A number of EU member states, such as Hungary, have so far closed their borders or suspended crossing points to stop the refugee influx.

EU leaders have agreed to provide the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and the World Food Program (WFP) with one billion euros in a bid to address the worsening refugee crisis.

Figures released by the United Nations (UN) indicate that some 500,000 people have entered Europe so far this year. Some 3,000 have lost their lives at sea.


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