CAIRO: A dozen Egyptian migrants are feared dead after their boat capsized off the coast of the eastern Libyan town of Tobruk on Monday, two Egyptian security sources said, while one man was rescued from the shipwreck.

The 13 men had set off for Italy in a people smugglers’ boat on Sunday night, the sources said, citing information from the surviving man via Libyan authorities.

The group, who hailed from Egypt’s al-Sharkia and al-Gharbia provinces, were among a growing number of Egyptians attempting dangerous sea journeys toward Europe as the population struggles to deal with high inflation and unemployment.

Libya became key transit route for migrants fleeing conflict and poverty to Europe across the Mediterranean following the toppling of Muammar Gaddafi in a NATO-backed uprising in 2011.

Oil-rich Libya is home to 761,322 migrants from 44 nationalities, according to data collected in mid-2024, UN.