Thursday, November 13, 2025 - The International Organization for Migration says two Nigerians were rescued, while two others died after a vessel carrying 49 people capsized in the Mediterranean Sea.
The IOM said 42 people are missing and presumed d3ad, while
seven survivors were rescued following a shipwreck off the coast of Libya the
latest fatal incident in the Central Mediterranean route.
According to the IOM, as reported by the News Agency of
Nigeria on Thursday, November 13, 2025, more than 1,000 lives have been lost in
the Mediterranean in 2025 alone.
The Nigerians were among 49 migrants and refugees aboard a
rubber boat that departed from Zuwara in northwest Libya around 3 a.m. on
November 3, the IOM said, citing survivor accounts.
"The vessel capsized roughly six hours later after high
waves caused the engine to fail,” the IOM said.
“All passengers 47 men and two women were thrown
overboard.
“The boat drifted for six days before Libyan authorities
rescued seven men — four from Sudan, two from Nigeria, and one from Cameroon —
on November 8, 2025.
“The missing passengers include 29 from Sudan, eight from
Somalia, three from Cameroon, and two from Nigeria.”
The agency added that its team “provided the survivors with
emergency medical care, water, and food upon arrival at the disembarkation
point in coordination with relevant authorities.”
The tragedy comes just weeks after other deadly incidents
off Surman, Libya, and the Italian island of Lampedusa
Latest data from the IOM’s Missing Migrants Project shows
that the death toll in the Central Mediterranean has already surpassed 1,000
this year, as more people attempt the perilous sea journey to Europe.
“With this latest shipwreck, the total has risen even
further, reinforcing the urgent need for strengthened regional cooperation,”
the IOM said.
The organization also called for “expanded safe and regular
migration pathways and more effective search and rescue operations to prevent
further loss of life.”
“IOM upholds that humane and orderly migration benefits both
people on the move and society as a whole,” it said.
Since 2014, more than 25,600 people have died or gone
missing in the Central Mediterranean — the world’s deadliest migration route —
which stretches from North Africa to Italy.
The high death toll is attributed to several factors,
including the length of the journey, increasingly dangerous smuggling patterns,
limited search-and-rescue capacity, and restrictions on the work of
non-governmental organizations saving lives at sea.
In addition, migrants often attempt the crossing in
unseaworthy, overcrowded inflatable boats.
The IOM noted that because many unsafe vessels are launched
simultaneously, it complicates ongoing search-and-rescue operations.
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