Red Crescent: 74 bodies of migrants wash ashore in Libya

This Monday, Feb. 20, 2017 photo provided by The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), shows the bodies of people that washed ashore and were recovered by the Libyan Red Crescent, near Zawiya, Libya. The Libyan Red Crescent says at least 74 bodies of African migrants have washed ashore in western Libya, the latest tragedy at sea along a perilous trafficking route to Europe. It says the bodies were found on Monday, and that more may yet surface. (Mohannad Karima/IFRC via AP) (The Associated Press)

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This Monday, Feb. 20, 2017 photo provided by The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), shows bodies of people that washed ashore and were recovered by the Libyan Red Crescent, near Zawiya, Libya. The Libyan Red Crescent says at least 74 bodies of African migrants have washed ashore in western Libya, the latest tragedy at sea along a perilous trafficking route to Europe. It says the bodies were found on Monday, and that more may yet surface. (Mohannad Karima/IFRC via AP) (The Associated Press)

CAIRO – Libya's Red Crescent says 74 bodies of migrants have washed ashore in the western city of Zawiya on the Mediterranean Sea.

The aid organization's spokesman Mohammed al-Misrati told The Associated Press that the bodies washed ashore on Tuesday morning.

He says the circumstances involving the drowning of the migrants are not clear yet. The agency posted on its Twitter account photographs of dozens of bodies in white and black body bags, lined up along the shore.

He also says that local authorities will take the bodies to a cemetery in the capital of Tripoli that's allocated for unidentified persons.

Migrant deaths have risen to record levels along the Libya-Italy smuggling route across the Mediterranean Sea.