Iraqi Diplomat Says No Official Confirmation Yet of 18 Migrants' Deaths

INA

Ahmed al-Sahhaf, Chargé d'Affaires at the Iraqi Embassy in Libya.

Ahmed al-Sahhaf, Chargé d'Affaires at the Iraqi Embassy in Libya, said on Saturday that efforts were under way to determine the fate of 18 Iraqi migrants who entered Libya illegally and are reportedly feared to have drowned while attempting to reach Europe.

Speaking to the Iraq's state media (INA), al-Sahhaf said the embassy was following the case "with urgent and keen interest", adding that efforts were continuing in coordination with Libyan security and health authorities and the Libyan Red Crescent.

The coordination aims to establish the migrants' whereabouts and verify reports that they may have drowned in the Mediterranean Sea while attempting to travel illegally from Libya to Europe.

Al-Sahhaf stressed that the embassy had not received official confirmation from the relevant Libyan authorities that the migrants had drowned.

He said the embassy was working to verify the reports and ensure that any information released was accurate and reliable by obtaining details from official sources.

According to al-Sahhaf, efforts to establish the fate of the migrants and obtain verified information have been ongoing for the past month.



PUKMEDIA