Six Tunisian oil workers have been killed in a tragic road accident in the Libyan city of Jalu while traveling home for the Eid al-Fitr holiday, a human rights official has confirmed.
Mustafa Abdelkabir, head of the Tunisian Human Rights Observatory, said the victims were employed at the Sarir oil field and were on their way back to Tunisia when their bus collided with a heavy truck on Friday evening.
Speaking to Tunisia Gateway, he suggested that excessive speed and poor road conditions may have contributed to the crash.
A seventh Tunisian national survived the accident and is receiving treatment at Jalu Hospital. His condition is reported to be stable, and arrangements are being made to transfer him to Tunisia.
Efforts are also underway to repatriate the victims’ bodies, with Tunisian authorities coordinating with Libyan officials and the country’s consulate in Benghazi.
Abdelkabir urged the Tunisian government to intervene to secure financial compensation for the victims’ families, stressing that the workers were their households’ main providers. He warned of difficulties in claiming these rights, as the victims were employed through a subcontractor in Libya’s oil sector.
