The incident took place on Friday off the western Libyan city of Sabratha, a major launching pad for mostly Africans making the perilous journey to the Mediterranean, the International Organization for Migration said. The IOM said six bodies had been pulled from the water while another 29 were missing, considered dead. It was not immediately clear what caused the wooden boat to capsize. The tragedy is the latest to involve people leaving North Africa in search of a better life in Europe. Last week alone, at least 53 people were reported dead or presumed dead off Libya, according to the IOM. “An exclusive search and rescue capability and a safe disembarkation mechanism are urgently needed to prevent further deaths and suffering,” the IOM said. Investigators commissioned by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights have found evidence of possible crimes against humanity committed in Libya against people being held in government-run detention centers and at the hands of human traffickers. Earlier this month, more than 90 people drowned in an overcrowded boat in the Mediterranean Sea just days after leaving Libya, according to Médecins Sans Frontières. People regularly try to cross the Mediterranean from Libya in a desperate attempt to reach European shores. The country has emerged as the dominant transit point for those fleeing war and poverty in Africa and the Middle East. Traffickers in recent years have taken advantage of the chaos in Libya by smuggling people across the oil-rich country’s long border with six nations. Then their “customers” are usually packed in poorly equipped rubber boats and embark on dangerous sea voyages. At least 476 people died along the route of the central Mediterranean between January 1st and April 11th, according to the IOM.
