2 Nigerians missing, 2 Dead as Migrant Boat capsizes. The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) has confirmed that two Nigerian nationals are missing and two others have died after a rubber boat carrying 49 migrants capsized in the Central Mediterranean while en route to Europe.
According to the IOM, the vessel, which departed from Zuwara in northwest Libya around 3 a.m. on November 3, capsized roughly six hours later after high waves caused its engine to fail. Forty-two people remain missing and are presumed dead, while seven survivors were rescued by Libyan authorities on November 8.
The survivors, consisting of four Sudanese, two Nigerians, and one Cameroonian, drifted for six days before they were found. “All passengers, 47 men and two women, were thrown overboard,” IOM said in a statement. The missing include 29 Sudanese, eight Somalis, three Cameroonians, and two Nigerians.
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IOM officials said the survivors received immediate medical attention, food, and water upon rescue. The organisation described the incident as part of a worsening humanitarian crisis in the Mediterranean, calling for stronger regional cooperation and expanded safe migration routes to prevent further loss of life.
“With this latest shipwreck, the total number of migrant deaths in the Central Mediterranean this year has exceeded 1,000,” IOM stated, noting that the region remains the world’s deadliest migration route.
The agency added that since 2014, more than 25,600 migrants have died or disappeared while attempting to cross the Central Mediterranean, which stretches from North Africa to Italy. The perilous route is marked by unseaworthy, overcrowded boats, poor weather, and inadequate rescue capacity.
IOM further highlighted that smugglers often launch multiple unsafe vessels simultaneously, complicating search and rescue efforts. It urged authorities to prioritise humane and orderly migration policies that safeguard lives.
The tragedy follows several similar disasters in recent weeks near Surman, Libya, and the Italian island of Lampedusa, underlining the continuing dangers faced by thousands of migrants seeking to reach Europe.
