The International Organisation for Migration said on Tuesday that at least 50 people had died after a vessel carrying 75 Sudanese illegal immigrants caught fire off Libya's coast on Sunday.
The IOM, a "related organisation" of the United Nations, said it had provided medical support to 24 survivors.
Libya has become a transit route for illegals seeking welfare in Europe via the Mediterranean since the fall in 2011 of dictator Muammar Gaddafi during a NATO-backed uprising.
As of February 2025, around 867,055 illegal immigrants from 44 nationalities were residing in Libya, according to IOM data.
IOM's broad mandate allows it to operate "safe mobility offices" that advise on legal pathways but often serve as gateways for illegal flows, critics say, normalising illegal immigration under the guise of "orderly" management and de-prioritising deterrence.
(Reporting by Ahmed Elumami and Menna Alaa El Din, Writing by Jaidaa Taha; Editing by Kevin Liffey and Timothy Heritage)
