At least four people have died after two boats carrying nearly 100 migrants capsized off the coast of Libya on Saturday, according to rescue workers.

The Libyan Red Crescent has confirmed that those who perished were all passengers on a boat carrying 26 Bangladeshi nationals. However, it remains unclear if there were additional fatalities on a second boat that was carrying approximately 70 mostly Sudanese individuals.

This tragic event occurred along the central Mediterranean route, known to be the deadliest migration path globally, as per the UN International Organization for Migration (IOM).

The boats embarked from Al Khums, a port city in northwestern Libya. Images shared by the Libyan Red Crescent depicted their team providing aid to survivors, amidst grim scenes that included body bags. Overcrowded and unsafe vessels regularly lead to hundreds of fatalities each year during these crossings to southern Europe.

In 2025 alone, more than 1,500 individuals have died or gone missing in the Mediterranean, with roughly a third of these cases occurring off the coast of Libya. This North African country serves as a departure point for many of the nearly 59,000 migrants who have made their way to Europe via this route thus far this year, according to Frontex, the European Union's border security agency.

Earlier this week, a similar incident was reported where dozens of migrants, who had embarked on a small boat in Libya, were presumed dead after the vessel capsized amid perilous conditions in the Mediterranean. Seven survivors were rescued after enduring nearly a week lost at sea, hailing from various African countries including Sudan, Somalia, Cameroon, and Nigeria.