UN: Migrants who Tried to Cross Mediterranean Brought Back to Libya

FILE - Migrants are brought to shore after being intercepted by the Libyan coast guard on the Mediterranean Sea, in Garaboli Libya, on Oct. 18, 2021. (AP Photo/Yousef Murad, File)
FILE - Migrants are brought to shore after being intercepted by the Libyan coast guard on the Mediterranean Sea, in Garaboli Libya, on Oct. 18, 2021. (AP Photo/Yousef Murad, File)
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UN: Migrants who Tried to Cross Mediterranean Brought Back to Libya

FILE - Migrants are brought to shore after being intercepted by the Libyan coast guard on the Mediterranean Sea, in Garaboli Libya, on Oct. 18, 2021. (AP Photo/Yousef Murad, File)
FILE - Migrants are brought to shore after being intercepted by the Libyan coast guard on the Mediterranean Sea, in Garaboli Libya, on Oct. 18, 2021. (AP Photo/Yousef Murad, File)

Nearly 500 migrants who tried to cross the central Mediterranean have been brought back to Libya, a spokesman for the UN migration agency said on Friday, two days after charity groups lost contact with the boat carrying them.

"Libya is an unsafe port where migrants should never be brought back," Flavio Di Giacomo, a spokesman for the UN's International Organization for Migration (IOM) wrote on Twitter.

He told Reuters there were 485 migrants and they docked in the Libyan port of Benghazi on Friday. No further details were provided to IOM at this stage.

Alarm Phone, a group that picks up calls from migrant vessels in distress, had no signs from the boat since Wednesday morning.

At the time, the boat was adrift, with no working engine, in high seas about 320 km (200 miles) north of Libya and more than 400 km away from Malta or Italy's southern island of Sicily.

The Italian Coast Guard reported on Thursday the rescue of 423 and 671 migrants in two separate operations in Italian search and rescue waters, and Alarm Phone said they were unrelated to the missing boat.



Al-Hilal Coach: We’re Ready to Face Real Madrid Despite Limited Preparation Time

The FIFA Club World Cup 2025 is set to begin on June 15 will run until July 13. - SPA
The FIFA Club World Cup 2025 is set to begin on June 15 will run until July 13. - SPA
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Al-Hilal Coach: We’re Ready to Face Real Madrid Despite Limited Preparation Time

The FIFA Club World Cup 2025 is set to begin on June 15 will run until July 13. - SPA
The FIFA Club World Cup 2025 is set to begin on June 15 will run until July 13. - SPA

Al-Hilal’s head coach Simone Inzaghi stated that the team has prepared as thoroughly as possible despite the short time he has had in charge ahead of the FIFA Club World Cup.

Speaking at a press conference in Miami, Inzaghi revealed the players have completed only four training sessions before facing the formidable Real Madrid, SPA reported.

"I’ve watched several matches in the tournament, and the competition is very strong. The teams are all on equal footing," Inzaghi said. "We will strive to give our best despite the limited time we have had to prepare."

He added, "The team will do everything in its power to advance as far as possible in the tournament."

Inzaghi also praised the warm welcome the staff and players received from fans upon their arrival in Miami.