More than 40 migrants dead after boat capsizes in Mediterranean sea

At least 42 migrants are missing and presumed dead after their dinghy capsized in the Mediterranean Sea, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) has said. Only seven people survived after drifting for nearly a week before being rescued by Libyan authorities. According to the IOM, the rubber boat carrying 49 people, including two women sank on November 3, about six hours after departing the Libyan coastal town of Zuwara. The survivors, from Sudan, Nigeria, Cameroon, and Somalia, were found near the al-Buri Oil Field on Saturday, six days after the incident. The missing include 29

At least 42 migrants are missing and presumed dead after their dinghy capsized in the Mediterranean Sea, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) has said. Only seven people survived after drifting for nearly a week before being rescued by Libyan authorities. According to the IOM, the rubber boat carrying 49 people, including two women sank on November 3, about six hours after departing the Libyan coastal town of Zuwara. The survivors, from Sudan, Nigeria, Cameroon, and Somalia, were found near the al-Buri Oil Field on Saturday, six days after the incident. The missing include 29 people from Sudan, eight from Somalia, three from Cameroon, and two from Nigeria, the agency said in a statement. The tragedy pushes the number of deaths on the Central Mediterranean migration route to more than 1,000 so far this year, based on data from the IOM’s Missing Migrants Project. Libya remains one of the main departure points for migrants and refugees attempting the dangerous journey to Europe in overcrowded and unseaworthy boats. By the end of October, at least 527 people had died off the Libyan coast since the start of 2025, the IOM reported. Between January and October, roughly 59,000 people attempted the crossing, according to the EU border agency Frontex. The rising death toll comes amid worsening conditions in Libya and growing criticism of European cooperation with the Libyan coastguard. Last week, 13 European search and rescue organisations suspended coordination with Libyan authorities, accusing them of violent interceptions and returning migrants to detention centres where abuse, torture, and forced labour are widespread.