(MENAFN) At least 42 migrants are presumed dead following the capsizing of a rubber boat off Libya’s coast earlier this month, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) reported.

The vessel had departed from Zuwara on November 3, carrying 47 men and two women. Roughly six hours into the journey, “high waves caused the engine to fail, capsizing the boat and throwing all passengers overboard,” according to the UN agency. Libyan authorities conducted a search and rescue operation near the Al Buri Oil Field later that week.

Those still missing, and now presumed dead, include 29 Sudanese, eight Somalis, three Cameroonians, and two Nigerians. Only seven passengers survived after drifting at sea for six days. Among the survivors were four Sudanese, two Nigerians, and one Cameroonian. The IOM said it provided emergency medical care, water, and food to the survivors upon their disembarkation, in coordination with local authorities.

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