- IOM confirms two Nigerians among victims of latest Mediterranean boat tragedy.
- 42 migrants missing, seven rescued after vessel capsized off the Libyan coast.
- Over 1,000 deaths recorded in 2025 on the Central Mediterranean migration route.
- Organisation calls for stronger rescue efforts and safer migration alternatives.
The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) has confirmed that two Nigerians lost their lives while 42 others remain missing after a migrant boat capsized in the Mediterranean Sea. The tragic incident, which occurred off the coast of Libya, highlights the worsening dangers along the Central Mediterranean migration route, one of the world’s deadliest paths for migrants seeking safety and better opportunities in Europe.
According to the IOM, the ill-fated vessel carrying 49 passengers, including Nigerians, departed from Zuwara, northwest Libya, at about 3 a.m. on November 3, 2025. Reports indicate that the boat’s engine failed six hours into the journey after encountering high waves, causing it to overturn.
ATTENTION: Click “HERE” to join our WhatsApp group and receive News updates directly on your WhatsApp!
READ ALSO: FG Inaugurates Committee to Enforce Single-use Plastic Ban Nationwide
The agency stated that 47 men and two women were thrown into the sea. Only seven survivors, four from Sudan, two from Nigeria, and one from Cameroon were rescued by Libyan authorities after six days adrift.
The IOM said that the missing migrants included 29 from Sudan, eight from Somalia, three from Cameroon, and two from Nigeria. The survivors received emergency medical care, water, and food upon arrival.
Data from the IOM’s Missing Migrants Project revealed that more than 1,000 lives have already been lost on the Central Mediterranean route this year alone. With this latest tragedy, the death toll has climbed even higher.
READ ALSO: Libya Deports 80 Nigerians from Detention Camps
The organisation urged for urgent regional cooperation to strengthen rescue operations and ensure safer migration channels. It emphasised that humane and orderly migration benefits both individuals and the societies they move to.
Since 2014, over 25,600 people have died or gone missing in the Central Mediterranean. The long, perilous journey, unsafe boats, and limited rescue capacity have all contributed to the staggering loss of life.
