A rubber boat carrying migrants has capsized off the coast of Libya, with only seven of the 49 passengers aboard being rescued, the UN’s International Organization for Migration (IOM) said on Wednesday.
Another 42 people on board the ship are missing and presumed dead.
The rescued people had to spend several days wandering
An IOM statement said 29 of the missing were from Sudan, eight from Somalia, three from Cameroon and two from Nigeria.
The seven people who were rescued spent six days wandering after the ship capsized.
According to the United Nations, four of the survivors came from Sudan, two from Nigeria and one from Cameroon.
Falling numbers of irregular migrants
This comes amid reports that another boat carrying migrants from Libya has capsized south of the Greek island of Crete, killing at least three people so far and 56 others have been rescued.
As of Sunday, about 16,000 migrants had arrived in Crete since the start of 2025, according to the UN refugee agency.
Hundreds of people die every year trying to reach Europe by sea from Africa.
The proportion of migrants making the dangerous attempt has increased as the land route into the EU, previously widely used, has been made impractical due to increased surveillance and interception.
according to InfoMigrants website, However, arrivals of irregular migrants to the EU have been falling steadily since 2024, with only 240,000 people reaching Europe, around 60,000 fewer than the previous year.
Edited by Shawn Sinico