Two Nigerians have been rescued while two others remain missing following a tragic shipwreck in the Mediterranean Sea, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
The ill-fated vessel, which was carrying 49 migrants, capsized off the coast of Libya, leaving 42 people missing and presumed dead.
In a statement, the IOM said the rubber boat had departed from Zuwara, a coastal town in northwestern Libya, around 3 a.m. on November 3.
“The vessel capsized roughly six hours later after high waves caused the engine to fail,” the agency explained.
All 49 passengers — 47 men and two women — were thrown overboard as the boat began to sink. Survivors told the IOM that the vessel drifted for six days before being spotted by Libyan authorities, who rescued seven men on November 8. Among the survivors were four Sudanese nationals, two Nigerians, and one Cameroonian.
The organization confirmed that the missing passengers include 29 Sudanese, eight Somalis, three Cameroonians, and two Nigerians.
“IOM’s team provided the survivors with emergency medical care, water, and food upon arrival at the disembarkation point in coordination with relevant authorities,” the statement added.
This latest disaster adds to the growing number of lives lost along the Central Mediterranean route — one of the world’s most perilous migration corridors. Data from IOM’s Missing Migrants Project shows that over 1,000 people have already died this year attempting to cross the Mediterranean.
“With this latest shipwreck, the total has risen even further, reinforcing the urgent need for strengthened regional cooperation,” IOM said, calling for “expanded safe and regular migration pathways and more effective search and rescue operations to prevent further loss of life.”
Since 2014, more than 25,600 migrants have died or gone missing in the Central Mediterranean, which connects North Africa to southern Europe. Experts attribute the high death toll to long travel distances, unsafe smuggling practices, limited rescue capacity, and restrictions on humanitarian operations at sea.
The IOM reiterated that “humane and orderly migration benefits both people on the move and society as a whole,” urging governments to enhance coordinated responses to prevent further tragedies.
