More than 160 dead migrants off the coast of Libya according to the UN

More than 160 would be asylum seekers have drowned off the coast of Libya last week.

The migrants died in two separate incidents according to a United Nations migration official.

Libya is a major crossing point for tens of thousands of people seeking to reach Europe each year via the Italian coast, some 300 km away.

At least 102 migrants were reported dead after their wooden boat capsized off Libya on Friday. At least eight others were rescued and returned to shore, according to the UN official.

The second shipwreck took place Saturday. The Libyan coast guard retrieved at least 62 bodies of migrants.

Around 31,500 migrants were intercepted and returned to Libya in 2021, compared to nearly 11,900 migrants the previous year.