The International Organization for Migration’s Libya office said there were about 86 people on the boat, citing survivors.
At least 61 refugees and asylum seekers, including women and children, drowned in a “tragic” shipwreck off the coast of Libya, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said.
IOM’s Libya office said early Sunday that there were about 86 people on the boat, citing survivors.
IOM’s office in Libya said in a statement that “a number of migrants” were believed to have died after the ship left Zuwara port on Libya’s northwest coast and was submerged in high waves.
The IOM office said most of the victims were from Nigeria, Gambia and other African countries, adding that nearly 25 people had been rescued and transferred to detention centers in Libya.
IOM teams “provided medical assistance” and all survivors are in good condition, the organization said.
IOM spokesperson Flavio Di Giacomo said more than 2,250 people had died on migrant routes in the central Mediterranean this year, “unfortunately showing that not enough is being done to save lives at sea.” “That’s a dramatic number,” he wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
Libya and Tunisia are major departure points for refugees and asylum seekers who risk perilous voyages hoping to reach Europe via Italy.
On June 14 this year, the fishing boat Adriana, carrying 750 people, sank in international waters off the coast of southwest Greece while en route from Libya to Italy.
Survivors said the ship was mainly occupied by Syrians, Pakistanis and Egyptians. Only 104 people survived, and 82 bodies were recovered.
More than 153,000 refugees and asylum seekers have arrived in Italy from Tunisia and Libya this year, according to the United Nations refugee agency.
Meanwhile, under far-right Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who won last year’s election on a promise to crack down on immigration, anti-refugee sentiment is rising in Italy due to a large influx of migrants and asylum seekers.
Meloni met British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama in Rome on Saturday to discuss ways to combat illegal immigration into Europe.
Like Meloni, Sunak has a hard line on immigration. His government is cracking down on migrants and asylum seekers crossing the English Channel in small boats. Plans to send migrants and asylum seekers to Rwanda have been declared “unlawful” by the UK’s highest court.
In July, the European Union finalized a deal with Tunisia, as part of which the bloc will make payments to the North African country to stop irregular migration.
Many migrants and refugees are often placed on boats that are not large enough to safely travel dangerous routes. Some of them are fleeing conflict and persecution, while others dream of better opportunities in Europe. They land in Italy before heading to other countries, especially Western Europe.
Libya has been in turmoil since a NATO-backed uprising toppled longtime leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. The country is currently home to an estimated 600,000 immigrants and refugees.
