According to the UN, over 60 people perish in a migrant shipwreck off Libya

The UN's International Organization for Migration (IOM) reported that 61 migrants, including women and children, perished in a "tragic shipwreck" off the coast of Libya.

The IOM's Libya office stated in a post on X, citing accounts from survivors, that the boat had left the coastal city of Zuwara, which is west of the capital Tripoli and 60 km (37 miles) from the border with Tunisia, carrying about 86 people.

“The central Mediterranean continues to be one of the world’s most dangerous migration routes,” the UN agency said in the post.

Along the Central Mediterranean route, Libya is an important transit location.

Millions of people flood Libya's borders every year. As many people flee conflict in search of better lives, maritime tragedies are not uncommon.