Dozens feared dead after migrant boat capsizes off Libya
Only seven survivors were rescued after a vessel carrying 49 people overturned in the Mediterranean
At least 42 migrants are feared dead after a rubber boat capsized off the coast of Libya earlier this month, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) reported on Wednesday.
The vessel departed from the western coastal city of Zuwara on November 3 with 47 men and two women on board. About six hours into the journey, “high waves caused the engine to fail, capsizing the boat and throwing all passengers overboard,” according to the UN agency. Libyan authorities launched a search and rescue operation near the Al Buri Oil Field later that week.
The 42 people still missing – now presumed dead – included 29 Sudanese, eight Somalis, three Cameroonians, and two Nigerians.
Only seven passengers survived after drifting for six days. According to the statement, they included four Sudanese nationals, two Nigerians, and one Cameroonian. “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 agency reported.
Many of those on board were escaping prolonged conflict and instability in their home countries. Sudan has been mired in a devastating war since April 2023, displacing millions, while Somalia continues to grapple with armed violence, terrorist attacks by the Al-Shabaab militant group, and persistent insecurity.
According to the IOM’s Missing Migrants Project, more than 1,000 people have lost their lives along the Central Mediterranean route since the beginning of 2025. The UN migration agency notes that Libya, a key transit point for migrants escaping conflict and poverty in Africa and the Middle East, remains one of the most dangerous departure routes for those attempting to reach Europe by sea.
Libya Review reported that in 2024 alone, more than 665 deaths were confirmed and over 1,000 migrants were recorded missing along that route.
In September, two separate vessels carrying mostly Sudanese nationals capsized near the eastern Libyan city of Tobruk. One boat carrying 74 passengers overturned, leaving only 13 survivors. The second vessel with 75 people on board caught fire, resulting in at least 50 fatalities.
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