AT LEAST 73 people have been reported missing and are presumed dead following a shipwreck off the Libyan coast, the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) announced yesterday.

“The boat, carrying around 80 people, reportedly departed from Qasr Alkayar on February 14 heading to Europe,” an IOM statement said.

“Seven survivors who made it back to shore in extremely dire conditions are currently in the hospital.

“So far ,11 bodies have been retrieved by the Libyan Red Crescent and the local police.”

Last week, the IOM estimated that 34 people have died and 32 have gone missing while attempting to flee Libya across the Mediterranean Sea so far this year. At least 1,965 people have been forcibly intercepted and returned to the war-torn country.

Yesterday, the Italian parliament voted into law a decree issued by the far-right government last month placing new restrictions on non-governmental search-and-rescue ships operating in the central Mediterranean.

The new law requires NGO ships to sail directly to an Italian port following each rescue operation, preventing them from searching for other survivors.