Over the past two weeks, at least 70 migrants have been reported missing or dead off the Libyan Coast, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) has confirmed.

Commenting on the issue, Chief of Mission for the IOM in Libya, Federico Suda said "I am appalled by the continuing loss of life in the Central Mediterranean and the lack of action to tackle this ongoing tragedy." She noted that more than half of this year's deaths have been recorded near the Libyan coast.

According to IOM’s "Missing Migrants Project", at least 215 migrants have been reported dead or missing in the Central Mediterranean this year.

The UN migration agency renewed its call for concrete action to reduce the deaths in the central Mediterranean route through proactive, dedicated search and rescue missions along with a safe disembarkation mechanism, per international law.

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