This is the first wreck of migrants in the year 2021, UNHCR said.
The boat left the city of Zawya in northwest Libya on Tuesday morning and reportedly capsized a few hours after leaving due to poor sea conditions and when the engine stopped, UNHCR said.
The people who died were all men from West African countries, added UNHCR.
“Survivors, mainly from Côte d’Ivoire, Nigeria, Ghana and Gambia, reported that those who died were all men from West African countries,” said UNHCR.
“Hundreds of people lost their lives last year trying to cross the Central Mediterranean, where the most fatalities occurred over the course of a single migration trip worldwide,” the statement said.
“IOM and UNHCR fear that, due to the limited ability to monitor routes, the actual number of people who died in the Central Mediterranean during 2020 may be much higher,” he added.