No fewer than 60 migrants are believed to have drowned in a shipwreck off the coast of Libya, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) has disclosed.
Citing survivors, the UN agency said on Monday morning that the vessel left the city of Zuwara with around 86 people on board.
It said high waves swamped the boat and that 61 migrants, including children, were missing and presumed dead.
Africa Today News, New York reports that one of the main places from which migrants attempt to join Europe by crossing the Mediterranean is Libya.
It is one among the world’s most perilous migration routes; according to IOM estimates, over 2,200 people have drowned while trying to cross this year alone.
The agency said most of the victims of the latest incident were from Nigeria, Gambia, and other African countries, the AFP news agency reports.
Read Also: Libya Deports Illegal Migrants Back To Egypt And Nigeria
It also said 25 survivors had been transferred to a Libyan detention centre and were being given medical support.
Writing on X, formerly Twitter, an IOM spokesperson called the death toll for this year a ‘dramatic number which unfortunately demonstrates that not enough is being done to save lives at sea’.
In June, at least 78 people died and another 100 were rescued after a fishing boat sank off southern Greece.
The Mediterranean crossings frequently see scores of migrants crowded onto boats too small to safely hold them.
Those making the trip are typically hoping to land in Italy before making their way to other countries in Europe, some escaping conflict or persecution, others in search of work.
More than 153,000 migrants have arrived in Italy this year from Tunisia and Libya, according to the UN’s refugee agency.
Africa Today News, New York reports that on Saturday, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak had talks in Rome with his Italian counterpart Giorgia Meloni and Albania’s PM Edi Rama on how to reduce illegal migration to Europe.
At the start of this year, Mr Sunak made stopping small boat crossings in the English Channel one of the five key priorities of his government.