At least 50 migrants are feared dead or missing after a boat carrying around 60 people capsized off Libya's eastern coast, authorities said.
The latest disaster highlights the ongoing dangers of the Mediterranean migration route, where thousands continue to risk their lives in search of safety and better opportunities in Europe.
A wooden boat carrying approximately 60 migrants, including women and children, capsized on Tuesday near Bardaa Island, off the coastal city of Tobruk in eastern Libya.
According to eastern Libya's Coast Guard and security sources, the vessel was heading toward Europe when it overturned in the Mediterranean Sea.
Authorities said at least 50 people are dead or missing, while rescue operations remain underway to locate any additional survivors.
10 survivors reach island
The Coast Guard said 10 migrants managed to survive by swimming to Bardaa Island after the boat capsized.
Survivors told rescue teams that the vessel had departed early Tuesday morning carrying migrants from several sub-Saharan African countries.
Search and rescue operations are continuing in the area as authorities look for those still missing.
In a separate incident, rescue teams in Tobruk recovered the bodies of four migrants on July 13 after discovering another migrant boat adrift in Libyan waters.
Authorities also rescued 14 migrants from the vessel, which had reportedly drifted at sea for two weeks under what officials described as harsh humanitarian conditions.
The separate rescue underscores the persistent dangers faced by migrants attempting the Mediterranean crossing.
Latest in series of deadly shipwrecks
The latest tragedy follows a string of fatal migrant boat disasters off Libya's coast.
Last month, another shipwreck off eastern Libya left 51 migrants dead or missing, while security officials recalled that 26 bodies were recovered in June after a separate migrant boat capsized near Tobruk.
The repeated incidents have reinforced concerns over the growing humanitarian crisis in the central Mediterranean.
Libya remains key migration route to Europe
Despite years of instability, Libya continues to serve as one of the primary departure points for migrants attempting to reach Europe.
Since the 2011 NATO-backed uprising that overthrew and killed longtime Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi, the country has remained politically divided and plagued by insecurity.
The instability has allowed human smuggling networks to flourish, making Libya a major transit hub for people fleeing war, violence and poverty across Africa and the Middle East.
Human traffickers routinely pack migrants into overcrowded and unseaworthy wooden boats before sending them across the Mediterranean toward European shores.
Thousands have died attempting the dangerous journey, which remains one of the world's deadliest migration routes. Many migrants undertake the crossing hoping to find safety, asylum or improved economic opportunities in European countries.
Hundreds have already died on Mediterranean route
According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), more than 800 migrants were reported dead or missing along the central Mediterranean route between January 1 and May 16 this year alone.
The organization said more than 1,300 migrants died or went missing on the same route during the previous year.
The latest shipwreck adds to the mounting death toll and highlights the continuing humanitarian challenges surrounding migration across the Mediterranean Sea.
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