Two Nigerians rescued, two dead in Mediterranean shipwreck - IOM

The International Organisation for Migration says two Nigerians were rescued, while two others died after a vessel carrying 49 people capsized in the Mediterranean Sea.

The IOM said 42 people are missing and presumed dead, while seven survivors were rescued following a shipwreck off the coast of Libya — the latest fatal incident in the Central Mediterranean route.

According to the IOM, as reported by the News Agency of Nigeria on Thursday, more than 1,000 lives have been lost in the Mediterranean in 2025 alone.

The Nigerians were among 49 migrants and refugees aboard a rubber boat that departed from Zuwara in northwest Libya around 3 a.m. on November 3, the IOM said, citing survivor accounts.

“The vessel capsized roughly six hours later after high waves caused the engine to fail,” the IOM said.

“All passengers — 47 men and two women — were thrown overboard.

“The boat drifted for six days before Libyan authorities rescued seven men — four from Sudan, two from Nigeria, and one from Cameroon — on November 8.

“The missing passengers include 29 from Sudan, eight from Somalia, three from Cameroon, and two from Nigeria.”

The agency added that its team “provided the survivors with emergency medical care, water, and food upon arrival at the disembarkation point in coordination with relevant authorities.”

The tragedy comes just weeks after other deadly incidents off Surman, Libya, and the Italian island of Lampedusa.