A police officer said that at least five bodies, including two women, had washed up on the shores of a coastal village in eastern Libya, called 'Qasr al-Akhyar.

Hassan Al-Ghawil is the head of investigations at the Qasr Al-Akhyar Police Station. According to locals, the body of a child washed up on the shore, but due to the height of the waves, it returned to sea. The coast guard was then asked to look for the body.

Ghawil stated that the bodies were all of dark-skinned individuals. People who went to the police station reported that the bodies were discovered on Emhamid Al-Sharif Shore?in western part of town.

Since the NATO-backed 2011 uprising that brought down dictator Muammar Gadhafi, Libya has become a major transit point for migrants trying to reach Europe. Since 2014, a factional conflict has divided?the country between western and eastern groups.

Qasr al-Akhyar, a coastal city located 73 km (45 miles east of Tripoli), is an important port.

Some of the bodies were still in black inflatable lifebuoys.

Ghawil said, "We reported the bodies to the Red Crescent for recovery." The bodies that we found were still intact and we believe there will be more to wash up on the shore.

The International Organization for Migration reported that 53?migrants were either dead or missing earlier this month after a rubber raft carrying 55 people capsized near Zuwara, a town located in western Tripoli.

A U.N. Report released last week said that migrants in Libya including young girls are at risk of being tortured, raped, or sold into slavery. The report called for a ban on returning migrant boats until the rights of the migrants are guaranteed. Reporting by Ahmed Elumami & Hani Amara, Writing by Ahmed Elumami & Editing by Franklin Paul

(source: Reuters)