A motorized rubber raft capsized off the coast of Libya, killing at least 74 immigrants.
The United Nations said that the incident was one of the worst to happen in the world's deadliest sea crossing.
The International Organization for Migration said that the motorized raft was carrying more than 120 people on board; far exceeding its maximum passenger capacity. The raft reportedly left the shores of Khoms, Libya on Wednesday and capsized Thursday.
The Libyan Coast Guard along with several local fishing vessels rescued 47 people and found 31 dead bodies floating on the waters off the coast. Rescuers reportedly also recovered the body of a child that had drowned right after the raft capsized. Attempts to find the other passengers are still ongoing.
Hundreds of people have already died attempting to cross the dangerous waters. Most of the victims have been immigrants from North Africa trying to enter Europe through the Mediterranean. Immigrants are often packed into small vessels with little regard for safety.
The International Organization for Migration said that at least 900 immigrants have drowned attempting to cross the Mediterranean this year. Last month, at least eight vessels sank. The agency said that more than 11,000 of those that were rescued or intercepted were returned back to their home countries.
Nonprofit organization Open Arms currently has a vessel patrolling the area to rescue immigrants from capsized boats. The agency said that it has managed to rescue more than 200 people in three operations so far this year.
"The mounting loss of life in the Mediterranean is a manifestation of the inability of states to take decisive action to redeploy much needed, dedicated search-and-rescue capacity in the deadliest sea crossing in the world," Open Arms said.
Libya is estimated to have close to a million migrants from countries such as Nigeria, Egypt, Syria, Mali and Sudan. An influx of migrants into Europe came after Libya had descended into chaos in 2011 following the death of its longtime dictator Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi. Most of the migrants in the country originally traveled there to work. However, the conflict in the area had resulted in most migrants being subjected to exploitation and harassment.
