Two Nigerians have been rescued while two others remain missing after a migrant boat carrying 49 people capsized off the coast of Libya, according to the International Organisation for Migration (IOM).
According to a report from VANGUARD NEWS, the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) said two Nigerian nationals were rescued while two others remain missing following a deadly shipwreck in the Mediterranean Sea.
The IOM disclosed that a vessel carrying 49 migrants and refugees, including Nigerians, capsized off the coast of Libya, resulting in 42 people missing and presumed dead, while only seven survivors were found. The boat reportedly departed from Zuwara in northwest Libya around 3 a.m. on November 3 but capsized six hours later after high waves caused its engine to fail.
“All passengers, 47 men and two women, were thrown overboard,” IOM said, adding that the survivors—four Sudanese, two Nigerians, and one Cameroonian—were rescued on November 8 after the boat drifted for six days.
The agency stated that its team provided the survivors with medical care, water, and food upon arrival in coordination with Libyan authorities.
IOM noted that over 1,000 lives have been lost in the Mediterranean this year, calling for stronger regional cooperation and “expanded safe and regular migration pathways” to prevent further tragedies.
Since 2014, more than 25,600 people have died or gone missing on the Central Mediterranean route, described as the world’s deadliest migration corridor.