At least 42 migrants are missing and presumed dead after a rubber boat capsized off the coast of Libya, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) reported on Wednesday, November 12, 2025.
According to IOM, Libyan authorities rescued seven survivors who had drifted at sea for six days following the tragedy. The vessel, carrying 49 people, sank near the Al Buri oilfield, an offshore facility located north-northwest of the Libyan coast.
The survivors reported that the passengers onboard were mainly from Sudan, Nigeria, Cameroon, and Somalia—countries long affected by conflict, instability, and economic hardship.
Libya has become a major transit point for migrants attempting the perilous journey to Europe across the Mediterranean Sea, particularly since the fall of former leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. The collapse of centralized authority in the country has made it a hub for human traffickers and smugglers exploiting desperate refugees.
The IOM revealed that the number of migrants who have drowned in the central Mediterranean this year had already surpassed 1,000 before this latest incident, pushing the death toll even higher. Across the entire Mediterranean, there were 2,452 migrant deaths in 2024.
“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 IOM said in a statement.
The recent incident adds to a series of deadly maritime disasters involving migrants. In mid-October, authorities recovered 61 bodies along the coast west of Tripoli, while in September, at least 50 Sudanese refugees died when a vessel caught fire off Libya’s coast.
Meanwhile, during a United Nations meeting in Geneva on November 11, several nations including Britain, Spain, Norway, and Sierra Leone called on Libya to shut down detention centres where rights groups allege migrants face torture, abuse, and extrajudicial killings.
