Sixty-one migrants, including women and children from Nigeria, Gambia and other African countries have reportedly drowned following a “tragic shipwreck” off the coast of Libya, the UN’s International Organization for Migration (IOM) has said.
The IOM’s Libya office disclosed this in a post on X, saying the boat had about 86 people on it.
It said, “61 migrants including women and children drowned following a tragic shipwreck off Libya. According to the survivors, the boat with around 86 people left the Libyan shores from Zwara. The central Mediterranean continues to be one of the world’s most dangerous migration routes.”
Libya is a key transit point and thousands of people go there annually in a bid to get to Europe, in search of greener pastures.
IOM said more than 2,250 people died this year on the Mediterranean migrant route.
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