At least 18 migrants have died and 64 others rescued after a wooden boat capsized off Libya’s western coast, the United Nations’ migration agency confirmed on Tuesday.
According to the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), the vessel overturned only hours after it set sail due to rough waves in the Mediterranean Sea.
The tragedy occurred off the coast of Suman, a small coastal town in western Libya.
“The boat capsized a few hours into its journey because of high waves,” IOM said in a statement, quoted by AFP.
Rescuers pulled 64 people from the wreckage, including 29 Sudanese men, one Sudanese woman, one child, 18 Bangladeshi men, 12 Pakistani men, and three Somali men, the agency noted.
The nationalities of the 18 deceased victims remain unconfirmed as of Tuesday evening.
IOM described the shipwreck as “a stark reminder of the deadly risks migrants face in search of safety and better lives.”
The agency warned that the Central Mediterranean route—stretching from North Africa to southern Europe—remains the world’s deadliest migration corridor, with more than 1,000 recorded deaths and disappearances so far in 2025.
Data from IOM’s Missing Migrants Project shows that at least 1,046 migrants have died along the route this year, including 527 off Libya’s coast alone.
The latest disaster comes barely a week after 40 migrants from sub-Saharan Africa drowned in another shipwreck off Tunisia’s coast, underscoring the worsening humanitarian crisis in the region.
IOM said it was working with Libyan authorities and humanitarian partners to ensure survivors receive medical care, food, and shelter.
“This tragedy underscores the urgent need for safe migration pathways and stronger international efforts to address the root causes of forced displacement,” the agency added.
The United Nations and human rights groups continue to urge European and African governments to strengthen search-and-rescue missions and crack down on human traffickers exploiting desperate migrants seeking safety across the Mediterranean.