At least 42 migrants missing in shipwreck off Libyan coast

TRIPOLI - Libyan authorities rescued seven survivors who had drifted at sea for six days after the vessel, carrying 49 people, sank near the Al Buri oilfield, an offshore facility north-northwest of the Libyan coast, said the International Organization for Migration (IOM) on Wednesday.

The IOM said Libyan authorities carried out a search and rescue operation on November 8 near the Al Buri Oil Field after the vessel, which had departed from the Libyan coastal city of Zuwara, capsized.

According to survivors, the boat left Zuwara on November 3. About six hours after its departure, high waves caused the engine to fail, overturning the vessel and throwing all passengers into the sea.

After drifting for six days, seven were rescued - four from Sudan, two from Nigeria and one from Cameroon. The 42 missing migrants are presumed dead, including 29 from Sudan, eight from Somalia, three from Cameroon and two from Nigeria, the IOM said.

According to data from the IOM's Missing Migrants Project, more than 1,000 migrants and refugees trying to cross to Europe have died in the Central Mediterranean so far this year.