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Boat with refugees on the Mediterranean Sea in February 2021
Photo: Bruno Thevenin/AP
At least six people died when a boat carrying refugees sank off the coast of Libya.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) said 29 more people are still missing.
The small wooden boat capsized near the Libyan port of Sabratha on Friday.
The cause was not immediately clear.
According to the IOM, 53 refugees were reported dead or missing off the Libyan coast this week alone.
Libya is one of the most important transit countries for refugees who want to cross the Mediterranean to Europe.
Political instability prevails in the North African country due to the long civil war.
Smugglers take advantage of this.
Again and again people leave the coast in overcrowded and unseaworthy boats.
According to the IOM, at least 476 people died between January 1 and April 11 on the so-called Central Mediterranean route, which also includes crossings from Tunisia.
Last year, the IOM recorded more than 1,500 dead or missing on the route.
skr/AFP/AP/dpa/Reuters