The Libyan Red Crescent reported today that 15 bodies were found on the coast of the western Libyan city of Sabratha, some of which were charred, and human rights activists said they were illegal migrants.

After local authorities alerted them to the discovery of the bodies, volunteers from the Red Crescent branch in Sambrath, 70km west of the capital Tripoli, arrived at the scene and took the bodies to the city’s hospital mortuary, the organization said.

According to the same source, some charred bodies were inside the burning ship, while others were found intact nearby.

The Red Crescent did not provide details about the victims’ identities or the cause of their deaths, but human rights activists reported on social media that they were illegal migrants.

Local media reported that the people on board the boat, most of whom were Africans, were killed on Thursday evening in a shootout between traffickers.

According to the same sources, one of the drug trafficking groups involved in the fight set fire to the ship today. Images of the supposedly wrecked vessel appearing to be billowing thick black smoke have been posted on social media.

At the moment, it is not possible to confirm this information from the authorities.

The chaos that followed the fall of Muammar Gaddafi’s regime in 2011 has made Libya the preferred route for tens of thousands of migrants from sub-Saharan Africa, the Arab world and South Asia to reach Europe via Italy’s coast.

These migrants are the victims of human traffickers when these unfortunate people do not die trying to cross the Mediterranean dangerously, while Libya is regularly condemned by NGOs for their mistreatment.

Since March, two governments backed by two opposing camps have been vying for power in western and eastern Libya.

Since the beginning of the year, 14,157 migrants have been arrested and sent back to Libya, according to estimates by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) released on Monday. According to the IOM, at least 216 people have died trying to cross, 724 people are missing and presumed dead.