Migrant charity SOS Méditerranée says 11 bodies spotted in sea off Libya's coast

Published on 14/08/2026 - 22:05 GMT+2

A plane operated by non-governmental organisations assisting migrants in the Mediterranean spotted 11 decomposing bodies in the sea off the coast of Libya on Friday.

The SOS Méditerranée NGO called it a "harrowing scene" in a statement, saying "some of the bodies still had clothes on, others were kept afloat by tire inner tubes".

It said the bodies were "in an advanced state of decomposition."

"This sighting is a stark reminder of the human consequences of Europe's deadly policies of indifference and deterrence-at-all-costs," the organisation said in a statement.

The Italian coast guard said it had been notified and had informed Libyan authorities since the bodies were in Libya's search and rescue zone.

It said the bodies were around 57 nautical miles (105 kilometres) from the Libyan coastal city of Zuwarah.

The monitoring plane was operated by SOS Méditerranée and the Humanitarian Pilots Initiative.

Every year, tens of thousands of migrants attempt to cross the sea from north Africa to southern member states of the European Union.

The International Organisation for Migration said this week that the number of known migrant deaths in the central Mediterranean has increased drastically, even as migrant numbers fall because of harsher European policies.

It said 821 people died or went missing in the first four months of 2026, a 111% increase from 2025. More than half of the deaths were caused by severe weather in January.

Over the same period, migrant arrivals on that route fell by 46% to 8,577.

The EU border agency Frontex said the total number of irregular border crossings into the European Union fell by 26% in 2025 from the previous year to almost 178,000.