…“With this latest shipwreck at the Mediterranean Sea, the total has climbed even higher, underscoring the urgent need for stronger regional cooperation,”
LIBYA- The iNews Times | The International Organization for Migration (IOM) has reported that two Nigerians were rescued, while two others lost their lives after a vessel carrying 49 people capsized in the Mediterranean Sea.
According to the IOM, 42 individuals remain missing and are presumed dead, while seven survivors were pulled from the water following the shipwreck off the coast of Libya, the latest tragedy along the Central Mediterranean migration route.
As reported by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday, the IOM noted that more than 1,000 people have died in the Mediterranean so far in 2025.
The Nigerians were among 49 migrants and refugees aboard a rubber boat that set out from Zuwara, northwest Libya, around 3 a.m. on November 3, based on accounts from survivors, the agency added.
“The vessel capsized about six hours later after rough waves caused the engine to fail,” the IOM reported.
All 49 passengers, 47 men and two women were thrown overboard.
According to the agency, the boat drifted for six days before Libyan authorities rescued seven men on November 8. The survivors included four Sudanese nationals, two Nigerians, and one Cameroonian.
“The missing passengers include 29 Sudanese, eight Somalis, three Cameroonians, and two Nigerians,” the IOM stated.
The agency added that its team provided the survivors with emergency medical care, food, and water upon arrival at the disembarkation point, in coordination with local authorities.
This latest tragedy follows a series of fatal shipwrecks in recent weeks off the coast of Surman, Libya, and near the Italian island of Lampedusa.
Recent figures from the IOM’s Missing Migrants Project reveal that deaths along the Central Mediterranean route have already exceeded 1,000 this year, as more migrants undertake the dangerous voyage to Europe.
“With this latest shipwreck, the total has climbed even higher, underscoring the urgent need for stronger regional cooperation,” the IOM said.
The organisation also reiterated its call for expanded safe and regular migration channels, along with enhanced search and rescue operations to help prevent further loss of life.
“The IOM maintains that humane and orderly migration benefits both migrants and the societies they join,” the agency added.
Since 2014, more than 25,600 people have died or gone missing along the Central Mediterranean, the world’s deadliest migration route which runs from North Africa to Italy.
The persistently high death toll has been linked to several factors, including the long and perilous journey, increasingly risky smuggling methods, limited search-and-rescue capacity, and restrictions on the operations of non-governmental organisations working to save lives at sea.
Many migrants also attempt the crossing in overcrowded and unseaworthy inflatable boats.
According to the IOM, the simultaneous launch of multiple unsafe vessels often hampers ongoing search-and-rescue efforts.
