By Peter.
The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) reports that two Nigerians were among seven survivors rescued after a rubber boat carrying 49 migrants capsized in the Mediterranean Sea. Two other Nigerians perished, while 42 people remain missing and are presumed dead.
The vessel, which departed from Zuwara in northwest Libya around 3 a.m. on November 3, flipped roughly six hours later when high waves disabled the engine. All 47 men and two women aboard were thrown into the water.
After drifting for six days, Libyan authorities recovered the seven survivors on November 8: four Sudanese, two Nigerians, and one Cameroonian.
The missing include 29 Sudanese, eight Somalis, three Cameroonians, and two Nigerians.
IOM teams provided the survivors with urgent medical care, food, and water upon arrival, in coordination with local authorities.
This disaster marks the latest tragedy on the Central Mediterranean route, one of the world’s most lethal migration corridors. More than 1,000 people have already lost their lives attempting the crossing in 2025 alone.
The incident follows recent deadly shipwrecks near Surman, Libya, and Italy’s Lampedusa island.
Since 2014, over 25,600 migrants have died or vanished in the Central Mediterranean, a route plagued by long distances, ruthless smuggling networks, overcrowded and unseaworthy boats, limited rescue capacity, and curbs on NGO operations.
The IOM stressed that multiple simultaneous departures often overwhelm search-and-rescue efforts. It renewed calls for stronger regional cooperation, expanded legal migration pathways, and more effective rescue operations to prevent further deaths.
“IOM believes humane and orderly migration benefits migrants and societies alike,” the organization stated.
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