At least 50 people died after a vessel carrying 75 Sudanese refugees caught fire off the coast of Libya, the U.N. migration agency said Tuesday.
The International Organization for Migration said 24 people survived the incident, which occurred Sunday.
Medical support has been provided to the survivors, the agency added.
“Urgent action is needed to end such tragedies at sea,” IOM Libya posted on X, formerly Twitter.
Last month, at least 68 refugees and migrants died and dozens more went missing after a boat capsized off the coast of Yemen, the IOM said.
The Mediterranean remains one of the world’s deadliest migration routes. At least 2,452 people were reported dead or missing in the region last year, according to IOM data.
Libya has become a major transit point for migrants seeking to reach Europe, particularly since the 2011 uprising that toppled longtime ruler Moammar Gadhafi. The country has since descended into chaos, with rival militias and governments vying for control.
During Gadhafi’s rule, many African migrants worked in the oil-rich North African country. Today, Libya is home to an estimated 867,000 migrants, the IOM said.