Bodies of 25 refugees washed up near coast of Libya

The bodies of at least 25 refugees who drowned while trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea have washed up near the western Libyan city of Zuwara, a Red Crescent official said Thursday.

Al-Khamis Al-Bosaifi said aid workers were still recovering the bodies, and that the circumstances in which they died were not clear.

Hundreds of refugees and migrants drowned this week as the number of people departing from the coast of North Africa to Italy increases.

Many boats are believed to have departed from the coast near the Libyan towns of Zuwarah and Sabratha.