The United Nations migration agency said Tuesday that 18 people died when a wooden boat carrying dozens of migrants sank off the coast of Libya on Tuesday, while 64 people, including 12 Pakistanis, were rescued.
The ship “capsized just hours into its journey due to strong waves,” the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said in a statement, adding that the accident occurred off the coast of Surman, Libya.
“Among the survivors are 29 Sudanese men, a Sudanese woman and a Sudanese child; 18 Bangladeshi men; 12 Pakistani men; and three Somali men,” he said.
No information was yet available on the nationalities of the deceased.
“This latest shipwreck is a stark reminder of the grave dangers faced by people who undertake perilous sea journeys in search of safety and opportunity,” the IOM said.
He said the central Mediterranean route from North Africa to Europe remains “one of the deadliest migration corridors in the world.”
The agency said its Missing Migrants Project has documented 1,046 deaths and disappearances along that route so far this year, including 527 off the coast of Libya.
Tuesday’s accident came after 40 migrants from sub-Saharan Africa were found dead following a shipwreck off Tunisia last week.
The IOM said it was working with local partners to ensure survivors of Tuesday’s shipwreck received medical assistance and access to essential services. He called for “urgent measures to avoid new tragedies at sea.”
