More than 60 illegal migrants have reportedly drowned off the coast of Libya, the UN agency, International Organisation for Migration (IOM), has confirmed.
According to the UN agency, on Saturday, the vessel departed Zuwura carrying 88 people.
High seas reportedly overflowed the boat, and 61 migrants—including children—were reported missing and thought to have perished.
Libya is one of the main routes from which migrants attempt to join Europe by crossing the Mediterranean.
According to IOM estimates, over 2,200 people have drowned while trying to cross this year alone, making it one among the world’s most perilous migration routes.
IOM says the majority of the casualties in Saturday’s incident were from Nigeria, the Gambia, and other African nations, as reported by the AFP news agency.
It added that 25 survivors had been sent to a prison facility in Libya and were receiving medical attention.
An IOM representative described this year’s death toll in a post on X (the previous Twitter platform) as a “dramatic number which unfortunately demonstrates that not enough is being done to save lives at sea”.
In June, a fishing boat sank off the coast of southern Greece resulting in at least 78 fatalities and over 100 rescues.
The UN refugee agency reports that over 153,000 migrants have crossed into Italy this year from Tunisia and Libya.