On November 3, a rubber dinghy carrying 49 migrants and refugees departed from Zuwara, northwest Libya, at around 3 a.m., as reported by the International Organization for Migration (IOM). The vessel capsized approximately six hours later due to engine failure caused by heavy waves, throwing all 47 men and two women overboard.
The boat drifted for six days before Libyan authorities rescued seven men on November 8, including four Sudanese, two Nigerians, and a Cameroonian. Among the missing are 29 Sudanese, eight Somalis, three Cameroonians, and two Nigerians.
“The IOM team provided the survivors with emergency medical care, water, and food upon their arrival at the disembarkation point, in coordination with the relevant authorities,” stated the agency.
This tragedy follows recent deadly incidents near Surman, Libya, and Lampedusa, Italy. According to The IOM Missing Migrants Project, the death toll in the central Mediterranean has surpassed 1,000 this year as people risk the dangerous sea crossing to Europe.
“With this latest shipwreck, the total has increased further, reinforcing the urgent need for strengthened regional cooperation, expanded safe and regular migration routes, and more effective search and rescue operations to prevent further loss of life,” the statement concluded.
The Missing Migrants Project, established in 2014, reports over 25,600 deaths or disappearances in the central Mediterranean, the world’s deadliest migration route. Factors contributing to this include the journey’s lengthy duration, dangerous smuggling practices, insufficient search and rescue capabilities, and restrictions on NGO operations at sea. Overloaded and unseaworthy inflatable boats, often launched simultaneously, further complicate rescue efforts.
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