Updated: 16 September 2025 21:00:30
50 Sudanese Migrants Victims of Boat Fire Off Libya
Moatinoon
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) said today that at least 50 people died after a boat carrying 75 Sudanese refugees caught fire off the coast of Libya on Sunday.
The organization stated that it provided medical support to 24 survivors.
IOM spokesperson expressed deep regret over the tragic incident and said in a tweet on the X platform today that the situation requires urgent intervention to put an end to these tragedies.
Eleven Sudanese drowned in the past two days in a tragic accident that occurred in Libyan territorial waters while attempting to cross the Mediterranean Sea to Europe. Their journey was intended to reach Greece and then Britain in search of asylum.
The boat was carrying 51 people, all from Sudan and from different regions. The victims were identified, including nine individuals from the Al-Usaylat area in eastern Nile, one person from the city of Al-Dabbah, and another from Al-Managil.
Late last August, three Sudanese sisters died while attempting to cross from Libya to Italy in an overcrowded rubber dinghy, while dozens of migrants were rescued.
In similar incidents, a boat sank off the coast of Tunisia in February 2024, killing 13 Sudanese and leaving 27 missing, with only two survivors.
Another incident occurred in Libya in 2023, when a boat carrying Sudanese nationals sank. Reports at the time indicated that approximately 12 Sudanese died and dozens were missing.
