TOBRUK, LIBYA – At least 50 people perished after a vessel attempting to cross the Mediterranean Sea to Europe with 75 Sudanese refugees caught fire near the Libyan coast on Sunday, the UN migration agency (IOM) said.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) said on Tuesday it was saddened by the migrants deaths. The agency added that its team provided medical support to 24 survivors.
“IOM is deeply saddened by the tragic loss of life after a vessel carrying 75 Sudanese refugees caught fire off Libya’s coast on 14 Sep. At least 50 lives were lost. Urgent action is needed to end such tragedies at sea,” it said in a post on X.
The exact details of the tragedy which sent shockwaves through Sudan, are still unclear.
However, thousands of Sudanese are among the migrants who attempt to cross from Libya to Europe using small and often unseaworthy vessels, with more than 4,000 Sudanese citizens registered by the UNHCR as arriving in Greece by sea in 2025.
A relative of a number of victims told Sudanese news site Radio Dabanga that most of the victims hail from the areas of El Usaylat, Dbeibeh, El Ilfon, Kassala, and Omdurman.
Last month, at least 68 refugees and migrants died and dozens went missing after a boat capsized off the coast of Yemen, according to the IOM.
At least 2,452 migrants or refugees died or went missing in the Mediterranean Sea last year, according to the IOM, making it one of the deadliest routes for refugees.
Rights groups and UN agencies have also documented systematic abuse against refugees and migrants in Libya, including torture, rape and extortion.
