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) said on Wednesday.
Libyan authorities rescued seven survivors who had been drifting at sea for six days after their vessel, which was carrying 49 people, sank near the Al Buri oilfield, News.Az reports, citing Reuters.
The incident adds to the mounting death toll along the Central Mediterranean route, one of the world’s deadliest migration paths. Thousands of migrants and refugees continue to attempt the dangerous crossing each year, fleeing conflict and poverty in Africa and the Middle East in hopes of reaching Europe.