A boat carrying 55 migrants capsized off Libya’s coast on Friday, leaving 53 people, including two infants, feared dead or missing, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said on Monday.
IOM said the rubber boat sank approximately six hours after departing from the coastal city of al-Zawiya in north-western Libya.
Only two Nigerian women were rescued in a search-and-rescue operation by Libyan authorities, said IOM, noting that both survivors reported losing close family members.
One of the two survivors said she had lost her husband, while the other reported that her two babies had died, the agency said. IOM teams provided both women with emergency medical care.
According to survivor accounts, the boat – carrying migrants and refugees from sub-Saharan Africa departed al-Zawiya, Libya, at around 11:00 p.m. on 5 February.
IOM data shows that in January alone, at least 375 migrants were reported dead or missing following multiple “invisible” shipwrecks in the Central Mediterranean amid extreme weather, with hundreds more deaths believed to be unrecorded.
These repeated incidents underscore the persistent and deadly risks faced by migrants and refugees attempting the dangerous crossing.
According to IOM’s Missing Migrants Project, more than 1,300 migrants have gone missing in the Central Mediterranean in 2025.
The latest incident brings the number of migrants reported dead or missing on the route in 2026 to at least 484.
IOM warned that trafficking and smuggling networks continue to exploit migrants along the Central Mediterranean route, profiting from dangerous crossings in unseaworthy boats while exposing people to severe abuse and protection risks.
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.
MG/as/APA