Fifty-three migrants, including two babies, have died or are missing after a rubber dinghy carrying 55 people capsized off the coast of Libya, the International Organization for Migration said today.
The boat capsized north of Zuwara, Libya, on February 6. Only two Nigerian women were rescued during a search and rescue operation by Libyan authorities. One survivor said she lost her husband, while the other said she lost her two babies in the tragedy.
According to the testimonies of the two survivors, the boat – which was carrying migrants and refugees with African nationalities – departed from al-Zawiya, Libya, at around 11:00 p.m. on February 5. About six hours later, it capsized after water entered the boat.
According to the IOM Missing Migrants Programme, more than 1.300 migrants were missing in the central Mediterranean in 2025. The most recent incident brings to at least 484 the number of migrants reported dead or missing on this route in 2026.
