The United Nations announced on Wednesday that 40 migrants are missing, and six bodies have been recovered after a boat carrying migrants sank in the Mediterranean Sea.

According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the incident occurred off the coast of Libya. The boat was en route to Europe when it suffered a mechanical failure, leading to its sinking. Rescue teams managed to recover six bodies, while 40 individuals remain unaccounted for.

The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) stated that this tragedy once again highlights the extreme dangers migrants face when attempting to cross the Mediterranean. The organization noted that the number of deaths along this perilous route continues to rise.

The UN has called for urgent measures to strengthen search and rescue operations and to provide safe migration pathways instead of forcing migrants to undertake life-threatening journeys by sea.

The Mediterranean remains one of the deadliest migration routes, with thousands of deaths and disappearances recorded in recent years as migrants attempt to reach European shores.