Over 1,000 migrants dead in Mediterranean crossings in 2025: UN
The United Nations’ International Organization for Migration (IOM) said on Wednesday that more than 1,000 migrants have died attempting to cross the Central Mediterranean so far this year.
In the latest incident, over 40 migrants are feared dead after an inflatable boat capsized off the coast of Libya on November 8. Libyan authorities launched a search and rescue operation near the Al Buri Oil Field after the vessel, which departed from Zuwara on November 3, overturned in rough seas.
According to survivors, the boat was carrying 49 migrants and refugees—47 men and two women—when the engine failed about six hours after departure. Only seven men survived after drifting at sea for six days. They included four Sudanese, two Nigerians, and one Cameroonian.
The remaining 42 people, including 29 Sudanese, eight Somalis, three Cameroonians, and two Nigerians, are missing and presumed dead.
IOM teams provided emergency medical treatment, food, and water to the survivors after they were brought ashore.
“This tragic event, coming just weeks after other deadly incidents off Surman and Lampedusa, underscores the persistent dangers faced by migrants and refugees along the Central Mediterranean route,” the agency said in a statement.
The IOM renewed its call for stronger regional cooperation, expanded safe and legal migration pathways, and enhanced search and rescue efforts to prevent further loss of life.
The agency said the Central Mediterranean remains the world’s deadliest migration route, with over 29,000 deaths recorded since 2014. It also urged governments to address the root causes driving migration, including conflict, poverty, and limited access to legal migration channels.
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