They were among 49 migrants and refugees aboard a rubber dinghy that set off from Zuwara, in northwest Libya, around 3 a.m. on November 3, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said Wednesday, citing survivors.
The ship capsized about six hours later after heavy waves caused engine failure. All passengers, 47 men and two women, were thrown overboard.
Adrift at sea
The boat drifted for six days before Libyan authorities rescued seven men – four Sudanese, two Nigerians and a Cameroonian – on November 8.
Among the missing passengers are 29 nationals from Sudan, eight from Somalia, three from Cameroon and two from Nigeria.
“The IOM team provided the survivors with emergency medical care, water and food upon their arrival at the disembarkation point, in coordination with the relevant authorities,” the agency said in a statement.
Cooperation and safe migration
This tragic event comes just weeks after other deadly incidents off the coast of Surman, Libya, and on the island of Lampedusa, in southern Italy.
Latest data from The IOM Missing Migrants Project reveals that the death toll in the central Mediterranean has already passed 1,000 this year, as people attempt the perilous sea journey to Europe.
“With this latest shipwreck, the total has increased further, reinforcing the urgent need for strengthened regional cooperation, expanded safe and regular migration routes, and more effective search and rescue operations to prevent further loss of life,” the statement concluded.
The deadliest migration route
The Missing Migrants Project was established in 2014. Since then, more than 25,600 people have died or gone missing in the central Mediterranean, which stretches from North Africa to Italy.
It is the deadliest migration route in the world due to factors such as the length of the journey, which can take days; increasingly dangerous smuggling patterns, gaps in search and rescue capacity, and restrictions on the work of NGOs saving lives at sea.
In addition, migrants often make the crossing in overloaded and unseaworthy inflatable boats. As many of these vessels can be launched at the same time, this can complicate search and rescue efforts.
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Originally published at Almouwatin.com
