Cairo/Tripoli, 17 June 2025 – The International Organization for Migration (IOM) is deeply saddened by two confirmed shipwrecks off the coast of Libya in recent days, with at least 60 people feared missing at sea, according to IOM’s search and rescue teams on the ground. Survivors received urgent medical care from IOM staff immediately upon disembarkation.
“With dozens feared dead and entire families left in anguish, IOM is once again urging the international community to scale up search and rescue operations and guarantee safe, predictable disembarkation for survivors,” said Othman Belbeisi, Regional Director for Middle East and North Africa (MENA). “We extend our deepest condolences to the families of the victims and all those affected.”
On 12 June, 21 people were reported missing after a shipwreck near Alshab port in Tripolitania, where only five survivors were found. Among those feared dead are six Eritreans, including three women and three children, five Pakistanis, four Egyptians, and two Sudanese men. The identities of four others remain unknown.
The second tragedy occurred on 13 June, approximately 35 kilometres west of Tobruk. According to the sole survivor, who was rescued by fishermen, 39 people were lost at sea. In the days that followed, three bodies washed ashore: two on Umm Aqiqih beach on 14 June and another on Elramla beach in downtown Tobruk on 15 June. Identification efforts are ongoing, with support from members of the Sudanese community.
So far in 2025, at least 743 people have died attempting to cross the Mediterranean to Europe, including 538 on the Central Mediterranean route alone. This remains the deadliest known migration route in the world, marked by increasingly dangerous smuggling practices, limited rescue capacity, and growing restrictions on humanitarian operations.
IOM Libya’s Search and Rescue programme aims to reduce these risks by providing emergency assistance to migrants upon disembarkation and after desert rescues, while also supporting counterparts with tailored infrastructure and specialized equipment.
Globally, IOM’s Missing Migrants Project has recorded more than 75,000 deaths and disappearances since 2014. Over 39,000 of those have occurred in or near countries affected by crisis, underscoring the links between displacement, insecurity, and the lack of safe migration pathways.
IOM renews its call for urgent, coordinated action to prevent further loss of life. The cost of inaction is measured in human lives.
For more information, please visit IOM’s Media Centre.
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