Athens: The International Organization for Migration (IOM) announced that at least 30 migrants are feared dead or missing after their boat capsized off the coast of Greece.

According to National Iraqi News Agency, in a statement issued Monday, the organization called for intensified search and rescue efforts in the central Mediterranean to save lives, ensure the safe disembarkation of migrants, and strengthen regional cooperation.

The organization warned that human trafficking and smuggling networks continue to exploit migrants along the central Mediterranean route, profiting from dangerous crossings in unseaworthy boats, while people are subjected to abuses and serious risks to their safety.

The UN Agency stressed the importance of strengthening international cooperation and protection-focused responses to combat these criminal networks and expand safe and regular pathways to reduce risks and save lives.

The boat had set sail from Tobruk, Libya, on February 19th and capsized approximately 20 nautical mil
es off the coast of Crete. Among the survivors were 16 men and four minors, while authorities recovered the bodies of three men and one woman.