Over 60 migrants presumed dead after boat sinks off Libya – UN
Sixty-one migrants are missing and presumed dead after their boat sank off Libya’s coast, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) has said.
It said there were about 86 migrants aboard, citing survivors.
Most of the victims – who included women and children – were from Nigeria, the Gambia and other African countries, the IOM office said, adding that 25 people had been rescued and transferred to a Libyan detention centre.
Flavio Di Giacomo, an IOM spokesperson, wrote on X that more than 2,250 people had died so far this year on the central Mediterranean migrant route, a “dramatic figure which demonstrates that unfortunately not enough is being done to save lives at sea”.
Libya and Tunisia are principal departure points for migrants risking dangerous sea voyages in hopes of reaching Europe, via Italy.