At least 17 migrants died and nine remain missing after boat drifted eight days in Mediterranean Sea off Libya, officials.
Libya’s Red Crescent said volunteers with naval forces and coast guards rescued seven survivors off Tobruk near eastern Libyan coast.
Libya remains a key transit route for migrants from sub-Saharan Africa risking desert and sea journeys toward Europe amid hardship.
Security sources expect the nine missing migrants’ bodies to wash ashore along Libya’s eastern coastline within the coming days soon.
Red Crescent images showed volunteers placing bodies into black plastic bags before loading them into pickup vehicles during recovery operations.
Tripoli’s attorney general said a criminal court sentenced four Zuwara gang members to up to 22 years for trafficking, torture.
In a separate case, prosecutors ordered arrest of gang accused of sending migrants from Tobruk on capsized boat killing 38.