GENEVA: At least 53 migrants, including two babies, are dead or missing after a rubber boat carrying 55 people capsized off the coast of Libya, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said on Monday.
The vessel overturned north of Zuwara on 6 February, leaving only two Nigerian women rescued.
“Only two Nigerian women were rescued during a search-and-rescue operation by Libyan authorities. One survivor reported losing her husband, while the other said she lost her two babies in the tragedy,” IOM said.
Survivors reported that the boat, carrying migrants and refugees of African nationalities, departed from Al-Zawiya, Libya, around 11:00 p.m. on 5 February and capsized approximately six hours later after taking on water.
Data from the International Organization for Migration (IOM) show that in January alone, at least 375 migrants were reported dead or missing following multiple “invisible” shipwrecks in the Central Mediterranean, with many more deaths believed to have gone unrecorded.
These recurring tragedies highlight the persistent and deadly risks faced by migrants attempting the dangerous crossing.
According to IOM’s Missing Migrants Project, over 1,300 migrants went missing in the Central Mediterranean in 2025. The latest incident raises the number of migrants reported dead or missing on the route in 2026 to at least 484.
The IOM cautioned that trafficking and smuggling networks continue to exploit migrants along the Central Mediterranean, profiting from perilous crossings in unseaworthy vessels while exposing people to severe abuse and protection risks.
The IOM stressed the need for stronger international cooperation and protection-centered responses to address smuggling and trafficking networks, alongside safe and regular migration pathways to reduce risks and save lives.
In early December, 17 people were found dead after their boat sank off the coast of Crete in Greece, while 15 others were reported missing. Only two passengers survived that incident.
According to the UN refugee agency, at least 107 people died or went missing off the Greek coast in 2025.
The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) estimates that around 33,000 migrants have died or disappeared in the Mediterranean since 2014, underscoring the continued human cost of irregular migration routes into Europe.
