At least 50 dead after vessel carrying Sudanese refugees catches fire

In the Mediterranean Sea, at least 2,452 migrants or refugees died or went missing last year.

LAMPEDUSA, ITALY - JUNE 10: Refugees and migrants wait in a small rubber boat to be rescued by crewmembers from the Migrant Offshore Aid Station (MOAS) Phoenix vessel on June 10, 2017 off Lampedusa, Italy. An estimated 230,000 refugees and migrants will arrive in Italy this year as numbers of refugees and migrants attempting the dangerous central mediterranean crossing from Libya to Italy continues to rise since the same time last year. So far this year more than 58,000 people have arrived in Italy and 1,569 people have died attempting the crossing. Libya continues to be the primary departure point for refugees and migrants taking the central mediterranean route to Sicily. In an attempt to slow the flow of migrants, Italy recently signed a deal with Libya, Chad and Niger outlining a plan to increase border controls and add new reception centers in the African nations, which are key transit points for migrants heading to Italy. MOAS is a Malta based NGO dedicated to providing professional search-and-rescue assistance to refugees and migrants in distress at sea. Since the start of the year MOAS have rescued and assisted more than 4000 people and are currently patrolling and running rescue operations in international waters off the coast of Libya. (Photo by Chris McGrath/Getty Images) — Refugees wait in a small rubber boat in the Mediterranean Sea [File: Chris McGrath/Getty Images]

At least 50 people have died after a vessel carrying 75 Sudanese refugees caught fire near the Libyan coast on Sunday, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

The United Nations migration agency said on Tuesday that it has provided medical support to 24 survivors.

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“Urgent action is needed to end such tragedies at sea,” IOM’s Libya chapter posted on X.

Last month, at least 68 refugees and migrants died and dozens went missing after a boat capsized off the coast of Yemen, according to the IOM.

At least 2,452 migrants or refugees died or went missing in the Mediterranean Sea last year, according to the IOM, making it one of the deadliest routes for refugees.

Libya, home to around 867,055 migrants, has emerged as a transit route for migrants or refugees trying to reach Europe since the fall of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.

During Gaddafi’s rule, African migrants found work in the oil-rich country. But since his ouster, Libya has been mired in armed conflict among rival militias.

The disaster was the latest to befall refugees and migrants making the perilous Mediterranean crossing from Africa to Europe.

In August, at least 27 people died after two boats sank off the southern Italian island of Lampedusa, while in June, at least 60 refugees and migrants were feared missing and drowned at sea after two shipwrecks off the coast of Libya.

Rights groups and UN agencies have documented systematic abuse against refugees and migrants in Libya, including torture, rape and extortion.

In recent years, the European Union has stepped up efforts to reduce such migration, including by providing equipment and financial support to the Libyan coastguard, a quasi-military organisation linked to militias accused of abuses and other crimes.

NGOs say the phasing out of state-run search-and-rescue operations has made journeys across the Mediterranean Sea more dangerous.

They have also denounced what they see as punitive action by states against charities operating in the Mediterranean.

As a result, many people fleeing conflict and persecution have found themselves stranded in Libya, often held in detention in conditions that rights groups describe as inhumane.