UN concerned about detained migrants vanishing in Libya

By SAMY MAGDY
Associated Press

ON BOARD THE GEO BARENTS IN THE MEDITERRANEAN SEA (AP) — A U.N. migration agency official says she’s concerned about the disappearance of thousands of Europe-bound migrants who were intercepted and returned to Libya. The spokeswoman for the International Organization for Migration said Friday that Libya’s coast guard intercepted more than 24,000 Europe-bound migrants in the Mediterranean Sea so far this year, including over 800 this week alone. She, however, says only 6,000 are accounted for in official detention centers in the North African country. The fate of thousands of other migrants remains unknown. Libya has for years been a hub for African and Mideast migrants fleeing war and poverty in their homelands and hoping for a better life in Europe.