A/HRC/43/75 an estimated 2,790 are exposed or in close proximity to the fighting in and around Tripoli. An additional unknown number of persons are reportedly held in other informal detention facilities in insecure situations across the country. 38. UNSMIL/OHCHR observed that, owing to the decrease in humanitarian search and rescue activities as a result of withdrawal by Operation Sophia of its naval assets in the Central Mediterranean in March 2019, and to the continued criminal and administrative proceedings against non-governmental organizations or other private entities deploying rescue vessels, sea routes for migrants and refugees departing Libya have been blocked and the death rate at sea has been increasing. In total, there were at least 743 known deaths in the Central Mediterranean in 2019, with the death rate steadily increased over each of the past three years. For instance, on 25 July, up to 150 migrants and refugees reportedly died at sea after their vessel capsized off the coast of Al Khoms in western Libya. The Libyan Coast Guard returned the 137 survivors to Libya, where their fate remained unknown as at the time of writing. 39. Between June and August, UNSMIL/OHCHR visited four migrant detention centres in Al-Zawiyah, Zintan, Gharyan and Tajoura. It found that the detaining authorities continued to detain migrants and refugees arbitrarily in overcrowded, inhuman and degrading conditions, with insufficient food, water and medical care and very poor sanitation. For instance, on 3 June, UNSMIL/OHCHR visited Zintan detention centre, where migrants and refugees were held in extremely overcrowded hangars, lacking safe drinking water, health care, sanitation and adequate food. 40. According to information obtained by UNSMIL/OHCHR, there were ongoing incidents of violence and the use of deadly force against migrants and refugees in detention by the detaining authorities, including after detainees protested against the inhumane conditions of their detention. UNSMIL/OHCHR gathered reports of deadly incidents in official migrant detention centres at Tariq al-Sikka, Qasr Bin Ghashir, Zawiya and Sabha. On 6 June, in Al-Nasr detention centre in Al-Zawiya, at least one Sudanese woman was killed and three other migrants injured by gunshots after such protests. On 29 July, underscoring the unabated violence, inhuman conditions and the arbitrary nature of the detention of migrants and refugees, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Libya called for the closure of all migrant detention centres in the country.9 41. Although the Ministry of the Interior ordered the Department for Combating Illegal Migration, on 1 August, to close three migrant detention centres (in Misrata, Tajoura and Khoms), Tajoura and Khoms detention centres remained open as at 6 December, and the Libyan Coast Guard continued to hand over migrants and refugees intercepted at sea to these centres. Between January and November, more than 8,600 migrants were intercepted at sea by the Libyan Coast Guard, many returned to official and unofficial detention centres, where they are routinely subjected to serious human rights violations and abuses, including prolonged arbitrary detention in inhuman conditions, enforced disappearance, trafficking, sexual violence, torture and ill-treatment. Between 30 April and 23 May, hundreds of rescued migrants were reported to have been sent to Khoms detention centre but were later listed as missing by the Libyan Coast Guard. On 7 June, OHCHR called upon the Government of National Accord to immediately launch an independent investigation to locate those missing. 10 To date, no independent investigation has been launched. This situation is of serious concern, as migrants and refugees continue to be particularly vulnerable to trafficking or to being sold to smugglers, including for sexual exploitation. 42. UNSMIL/OHCHR also continued to receive reports of arbitrary deprivation of life and ill-treatment of migrants and refugees during their interception by the Libyan Coast Guard during operations at sea. On 19 September, one migrant was shot dead by coast 9 10 8 https://news.un.org/en/story/2019/07/1043381. www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=24681&LangID=E.