ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) is working to determine whether the bodies of 67 migrants who died in Libya between May and September include Kurdish migrants, an official told The New Region on Saturday.

“The bodies of 67 migrants who died in Libya between May and September are currently in the country's morgues,” head of the Association of Returned Refugees from Europe Abubakir Ali told The New Region.

To determine whether some of the bodies belong to Kurdish migrants, including 18 migrants reported to have drowned, “a medical team has been working for several days, in cooperation with the KRG’s interior ministry. DNA samples have been taken from their relatives, and they are awaiting the results,” he added.

For nearly two months, 18 Kurdish migrants, 11 of whom are from the Region’s Raparin administration, have been missing. They were being smuggled through Libya to Europe, and their families lost contact with them during their journey, according to information obtained by The New Region.

Ali said results are expected in a week or more, according to estimates.

Ahmed al-Sahaf, charge d’Affaires of the Iraqi embassy in Tripoli, said in a Facebook post Friday that efforts were ongoing between Iraqi and Libyan authorities to determine the fate of the 18 migrants, “amidst circulating reports suggesting they may have drowned in the Mediterranean Sea.”

He also stressed continued coordination with the Kurdistan Region’s interior ministry as part of efforts to determine the fate of the missing.

Many migrants trekking the perilous journey to Europe use the Libyan waterways to reach Italy through smuggling routes, often using boats that are not seaworthy and are prone to capsizing in the Mediterranean Sea.

In September, 33 Kurdish migrants who had gone missing in Libya were returned to the Kurdistan Region, in an effort by the KRG’s Department of Foreign Relations, under the directive of Prime Minister Barzani, and in coordination with the Iraqi Embassy in Tripoli.

The Iraqi government has routinely warned of the dangers of illegal migration, with Libya having gained popularity in recent years as a major transit hub on the journey to Europe.

Over 700,000 migrants were registered in Libya last year, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM).