IOM Mediterranean shipwreck leaves 44 dead and two Nigerians rescued as tragedy off Libya highlights growing migrant crisis in 2025

IOM Mediterranean shipwreck tragedy has claimed at least 44 lives, including two Nigerians, after a vessel carrying 49 migrants and refugees capsized off the coast of Libya, the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) confirmed on Thursday.

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According to the IOM, only seven people survived the disaster, which occurred on 3 November, when a rubber boat that departed from Zuwara in northwest Libya at around 3 a.m. capsized roughly six hours later due to high waves and an engine failure.

The IOM said, “All passengers — 47 men and two women — were thrown overboard. The boat drifted for six days before Libyan authorities rescued seven men — four from Sudan, two from Nigeria, and one from Cameroon — on November 8.”

Tragically, 42 people remain missing and presumed dead, including 29 Sudanese, eight Somalians, three Cameroonians, and two Nigerians. Two other Nigerians reportedly lost their lives in the incident.

The IOM stated that its team “provided the survivors with emergency medical care, water, and food upon arrival at the disembarkation point,” working in coordination with Libyan authorities.

This marks the latest fatal incident along the Central Mediterranean route, widely considered the world’s deadliest migration corridor.

The organisation’s Missing Migrants Project reports that more than 1,000 lives have already been lost in 2025** along this route alone.

“With this latest shipwreck, the total has risen even further, reinforcing the urgent need for strengthened regional cooperation,” the IOM said, reiterating its call for expanded safe and regular migration pathways and improved search-and-rescue operations to prevent further loss of life.

Since 2014, more than 25,600 people have died or gone missing while attempting the perilous sea crossing between North Africa and Italy.

Experts attribute the high death toll to overcrowded, unseaworthy boats, limited rescue capacity, and restrictions on humanitarian operations at sea.

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The IOM emphasised that “humane and orderly migration benefits both people on the move and society as a whole,” urging governments and partners to prioritise protection and coordinated humanitarian responses.