Shipwreck off Libya leaves 43 dead: UN

At least 43 migrants from West Africa perished in the first major shipwreck off the Libyan coast this year, the United Nations said Wednesday, adding that 10 people were rescued.

The UN agencies for refugees and for migration said they were "deeply saddened" by the tragedy.

The shipwreck, they said, happened Tuesday after a boat that set off from the city of Zawya capsized just a few hours after departure when its engine stopped in poor sea conditions.

Survivors, who were mainly from the Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Ghana and Gambia, said those who perished were all men from West African countries, the UN agencies added.

The shipwreck was the first of 2021 off Libya, but comes after hundreds of people lost their lives last year trying to cross the central Mediterranean to Europe -- making it the most deadly migration route in the world.

In their statement, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the UNHCR said they feared that "due to the limited ability to monitor routes", the actual number of deaths last year "could be much higher".

"This loss of life highlights once more the need for re-activation of state-led search and rescue operations, a gap NGO and commercial vessels are trying to fill despite their limited resources," they said.

The agencies also reiterated their call on the international community to urgently shift its approach to the situation in the Mediterranean.