Translation. Region: Russian Federation –
Source: United Nations – United Nations –
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November 12, 2025 Refugees and migrants
A shipwreck off the coast of Libya left 42 migrants missing and likely drowned. This is the latest tragic episode on the central Mediterranean route, where more than a thousand people have already died since the beginning of the year.
According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), 49 refugees and migrants were on board a rubber dinghy that departed from the city of Zuwara in northwestern Libya on November 3. Six hours later, the boat capsized: high waves disabled the engine, and all occupants—47 men and two women—were thrown overboard.
The boat drifted at sea for six days before Libyan authorities rescued seven men on November 8: four from Sudan, two from Nigeria, and one from Cameroon. Among those missing were 29 from Sudan, eight from Somalia, three from Cameroon, and two from Nigeria.
IOM said the survivors were provided emergency medical care in coordination with local authorities.
This tragedy occurred just weeks after several other deadly incidents off the coast of Surman, Libya, and the island of Lampedusa, Italy. According to the IOM's Missing Migrants project, the death toll along the Central Mediterranean route has already exceeded 1,000.
"This new shipwreck brings the overall death toll even higher, highlighting the urgent need for stronger regional cooperation, expanded safe and legal migration routes, and more effective search and rescue operations," the IOM said in a statement.
The Central Mediterranean route remains the world's deadliest, with more than 25,600 people dead or missing since the migrant tracking project was launched in 2014.
The main causes of deaths are the length of the journey, dangerous smuggling schemes, a lack of rescue resources, and limitations on the work of NGOs saving lives at sea. Furthermore, migrants often cross the sea in overloaded and unseaworthy inflatable boats, complicating rescue operations, especially when several such vessels are launched at once.
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