Migrant Death Toll in Central Mediterranean Rises
The agency cautioned that the death count keeps increasing with every new disaster.
In the most recent catastrophe, over 40 individuals are feared to have lost their lives after an inflatable vessel capsized near the Libyan shoreline on November 8.
Libyan officials began a search and rescue mission close to the Al Buri Oil Field after the craft, which had left Zuwara on November 3, overturned amid turbulent waters.
As per accounts from survivors, the IOM reported that the boat had been carrying 49 migrants and asylum seekers—47 men and two women—when heavy waves caused the engine to malfunction roughly six hours into the journey.
Only seven men managed to survive after spending six days adrift at sea: four from Sudan, two from Nigeria, and one from Cameroon.
The remaining 42 passengers are still unaccounted for and are presumed deceased, including 29 Sudanese, eight Somalis, three Cameroonians, and two Nigerians.
The IOM stated that its teams offered immediate medical treatment, nourishment, and drinking water to the survivors upon their rescue.
"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 organization reiterated its appeal for stronger regional coordination, broader safe and lawful migration options, and enhanced search and rescue operations to avert additional fatalities.
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