At least 73 migrants were missing and presumed dead after their boat sank on Wednesday off the coast of Libya, the UN's International Organization for Migration (IOM) said.
The boat carrying 80 people had departed from Qasr al-Akhyar, east of the capital Tripoli, and was heading to Europe, the IOM said.
The Libyan authorities didn't comment on the matter.
"Seven survivors who made it back to Libyan shores in extremely dire conditions are currently in the hospital," the agency revealed, adding that Libyan rescuers had retrieved 11 bodies.
"Concrete action by states is needed to increase search and rescue capacity, establish clear and safe disembarkation mechanisms as well as safe and regular pathways to migration to reduce dangerous journeys," the IOM said.
The latest tragedy brings the number of deaths on the central Mediterranean route to 130 this year, the IOM stated, calling the situation "intolerable".
According to the agency's Missing Migrants Project, more than 1,450 migrant deaths were recorded on the route in 2022, a fraction of the more than 17,000 deaths and disappearances since 2014.
