8 Members Of Sudanese Family Starve To Death After Getting Lost In Libyan Desert

Eight members of a Sudanese family starved to death after they lost their way in a Libyan desert while traveling to the city of Kufra.

Authorities found the bodies -- some of them partially buried by dunes -- and their belongings strewn around the car, about 400 kilometers southwest of Kufra, Libya Review reported.

Shocking images of the bodies and the car circulated on social media following the discovery.

A handwritten will was also retrieved from the scene which read, “To whoever finds this paper, this is the number of my brother Muhammad Saifuddin, may God entrust you. Forgive me, my mother, for not having reached you. Pope and Nasser, I love you, pray for us with mercy, gift us with the Quran, and work for us the path of death here.”

Kufra police station authorities said they received reports last Thursday that an accident had occurred 400 kilometers southeast of Kufra. An investigation was launched, following which the discovery was made.

According to the police, 21 people, including children, started from Sudan El Fasher to Libya's Kufra on Aug. 7, 2020, onboard the white Toyota Sequoia, The New Arab reported. However, the remains of eight people were found only this week. The fate of the remaining 13 is unknown.

The bodies of the deceased were taken to Kufra as per the order of a member of the public prosecution’s office. Authorities have launched an investigation into the tragedy, the media outlet reported.

The incident highlighted disasters occurring in Libya’s southern region, Libya Review reported. Due to the apathy of Libyan authorities and border guards, many have lost their lives, either during migration attempts or land travel through the desert.

Last year, nine illegal Sudanese immigrants died, and 319 ended up in critical care after smugglers abandoned them in the Sudanese-Libyan desert. According to Sudan Armed Forces, they were on their way to Libya. Besides Sudan nationals, the group included Ethiopians, Eritreans, Pakistanis and Bangladeshis.

The Sudanese government has continuously warned its citizens, who take the risky route to Libya, about human traffickers, and other dangers, which include getting lost in the desert, where many die of thirst.