Approximately 61 migrants, including women and children, tragically drowned in a shipwreck off the coast of Libya, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM) of the United Nations. The IOM's Libya office reported on X that survivor accounts indicated the boat, carrying approximately 86 people, had departed from the city of Zuwara, located west of the capital Tripoli and 60 km (37 miles) from the Tunisian border.
"The central Mediterranean continues to be one of the worlds most dangerous migration routes," the UN agency said in the post.
CNN has reached out to the UN IOMs office in Libya for further details.
Libya plays a crucial role as a transit point along the Central Mediterranean route, with tens of thousands of people crossing its borders each year. Unfortunately, tragedies at sea are frequent as many individuals escape conflict in search of improved living conditions.
The latest data from the UN refugee agency UNHCR shows that over 2,500 individuals have either died or gone missing in the Central Mediterranean this year, and the agency anticipates similarly high numbers in other regions around the world. This is a developing story and will be continually updated.
