Multiple people dead, dozens missing after refugee boat capsizes off Libya

Six people have been killed and 29 others are missing and presumed dead after their boat capsized off the coast of Libya, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) has said.

"A small wooden boat carrying around 35 migrants capsized off Sabratha, Libya yesterday," the IOM tweeted on Saturday.

"The bodies of six people have been retrieved while 29 others are missing and presumed dead. At least 53 migrants have been reported dead or missing off Libya this week alone."

Libya, wracked by a decade of conflict and lawlessness, has become a key departure point for African and Asian refugees and migrants making desperate attempts to reach Europe.

Refugees often endure horrific conditions in Libya before boarding overcrowded, often unseaworthy vessels that frequently sink or run into trouble.

READ MORE: 'Nearly 100' die in new Mediterranean boat disaster

475 people died so far in 2022

The United Nations' refugee agency UNHCR has said that around 1,300 refugees and migrants drowned or went missing in the central Mediterranean in 2021, making it the world's deadliest migration route.

The UN migration agency said on Monday that four people were killed and 14 others missing after another boat sank off Libya's coast, while two people were rescued.

"At least 475 people have died attempting to cross the central Mediterranean so far this year," it said.

Earlier in April, nearly 100 people died in international waters after setting off from Libya in an overcrowded boat.

Four people survived the incident, which was described as a "tragedy" by the UN refugee chief.

READ MORE: African migrants drown off Tunisia in shipwreck