53 migrants, including two infants, dead or missing after boat capsizes off Libya

At least 53 migrants, among them two babies, are dead or missing after a rubber boat capsized in the Mediterranean Sea off the Libyan coast, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) has confirmed.

The vessel, which was carrying 55 people, overturned on 6 February north of the coastal town of Zuwara. Only two women from Nigeria survived and were rescued by Libyan search and rescue teams.

One survivor reported losing her husband in the incident, while the other said her two infants drowned.

The IOM described the tragedy as yet another devastating loss of life along the Central Mediterranean route, one of the world’s most dangerous migration corridors. Its teams provided urgent medical assistance to the two survivors upon their arrival ashore, working in coordination with local authorities.

According to survivor accounts, the boat departed from Al-Zawiya late on 5 February at around 11 p.m. After approximately six hours at sea, water began entering the vessel, causing it to capsize.

IOM data indicate that the situation on the Central Mediterranean route remains critical. In January alone, at least 375 migrants were reported dead or missing, many in shipwrecks that were never officially documented, often due to severe weather conditions.

So far in 2025, more than 1,300 migrants have gone missing along this route, according to the IOM’s Missing Migrants Project. The latest tragedy brings the total number of migrants reported dead or missing in 2026 to at least 484.

The IOM warned that smugglers and human traffickers continue to exploit migrants by placing them in unsafe vessels, exposing them to extreme danger, abuse, and exploitation.

The organization is urging stronger international action to dismantle smuggling networks and better protect migrants. It also called on governments to expand safe and legal migration pathways to reduce perilous journeys and prevent further loss of life at sea.

Without urgent global cooperation, the IOM cautioned, such tragedies will continue to occur.