*One Lost Husband, Other Lost Two Babies
Providence smiled on two Nigerian women who were among 55 persons traveling on a boat illegally from North Africa to Europe when the vessel capsized on the Mediterranean, killing most with several still missing, except the duo.
Both women were later rescued.
United Nations (UN) agency, the International Organization for Migration (IOM), said the boat overturned north of Zuwara, off the Libyan coast, last Friday.
“Only two Nigerian women were rescued during a search and rescue operation by Libyan authorities,” the IOM said in a statement.
One of the survivors said she lost her husband and the other said she had “lost her two babies in the tragedy,” IOM added.
The agency said its teams provided the two survivors with emergency medical care.
“According to survivor accounts, the boat – carrying migrants and refugees of African nationalities departed from Al-Zawiya, Libya, at about 11pm on 5 February. Approximately six hours later, it capsized after taking on water,” the agency said.
“IOM mourns the loss of life in yet another deadly incident along the central Mediterranean route.”
The Geneva-based agency said trafficking and smuggling networks were exploiting migrants along the route from North Africa to southern Europe, profiting from dangerous crossings in unseaworthy boats while exposing people to “severe abuse.”
It called for stronger international cooperation to tackle the networks, alongside safe and regular migration pathways to reduce risks and save lives.
