According to the International Organization for Migration, according to survivors, 20 women and two children were among those who drowned when their ship capsized.

A UN immigration official said that a ship carrying migrants capsized in Libyan waters, and it is estimated that at least 57 people were killed.

Safa Msehli, a spokesman for the International Organization for Migration, said the ship left the western coastal town of Qoms on Sunday. There are at least 75 people on board.

On Monday, 18 people on board were rescued and returned to shore, Msehli said.

Survivors from Nigeria, Ghana and Gambia reported that the ship stopped due to engine problems and then capsized in inclement weather, Msehli said.

“According to the survivors brought ashore by fishermen and the Coast Guard, at least 20 women and two children were among the drowning,” Mselli wrote on Twitter.

? ? Shipwreck #Libya Today, a ship capsized near Combs, killing at least 57 people.

According to fishermen and survivors brought ashore by the Coast Guard, at least 20 women and two children were among the drowning. pic.twitter.com/QQqs1Oc7kx

— Safa Msehli (@msehlisafa) July 26, 2021

The overturn is a recent disaster in the Mediterranean, involving immigrants and refugees seeking a better life in Europe.

Less than a week after about 20 people also drowned in the Mediterranean, the deaths occurred on Monday, and 500 people were intercepted and taken back to Libya.

In recent months, there has been a surge in the number of people crossing and attempting to cross Libya.

In the first half of this year, the Libyan Coast Guard, supported by the European Union, intercepted nearly 15,000 refugees, asylum seekers and migrants. The United Nations said this number exceeded the number of people who disembarked in 2020.

Amnesty International stated that in the first six months of this year, more than 7,000 people intercepted at sea were forcibly returned to detention camps in Libya.

Since the outbreak of the rebellion that overthrew long-time leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, Libya has become the main transit route for people trying to reach Europe by boat.