The United Nations, UN, has urged authorities in Libya to order a “swift, independent and transparent” investigation into the killing of 15 migrants near the coastal city of Sabratha.

The bodies were found on Friday, most of them burned inside a charred boat.

The UN mission in Libya said the killings were thought to have resulted from clashes between rival trafficking gangs and is demanding that the perpetrators be brought to justice.

Libya has long been a key route for the smuggling of migrants to Europe.