At least 18 migrants have died and 64 others rescued after a wooden boat capsized off the coast of Suman, western Libya, the United Nations’ migration agency has reported.

The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) said the vessel overturned just a few hours after setting sail due to high waves in the Mediterranean Sea.

Among the survivors were 29 Sudanese men, a Sudanese woman and child, 18 Bangladeshi men, 12 Pakistani men, and three Somali men. The nationalities of the deceased have not yet been confirmed.

“This tragedy is a stark reminder of the dangers faced by people undertaking perilous sea journeys in search of safety and opportunity,” the IOM said, highlighting that the Central Mediterranean route from North Africa to southern Europe remains one of the deadliest migration corridors in the world.

So far in 2025, the IOM’s Missing Migrants Project has documented 1,046 deaths and disappearances along the route, including 527 off Libya alone.

Tuesday’s incident follows a separate shipwreck off Tunisia last week, in which 40 sub-Saharan African migrants drowned, underscoring the worsening humanitarian crisis in the region.

The IOM is working with local partners to ensure survivors receive urgent medical care and essential services while calling for immediate international action to prevent further loss of life at sea. The agency emphasized the need for safer migration pathways and stronger measures to address the root causes of forced displacement.