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At least 53 people are reported dead or missing after a migrant rubber boat capsized in the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Libya, the United Nations migration agency said on Monday.
The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) said the vessel overturned north of Zuwara on Friday, leaving only two survivors.
According to the agency, the survivors are Nigerian women who were rescued during a search-and-rescue operation carried out by Libyan authorities.
“Only two Nigerian women were rescued during a search-and-rescue operation by Libyan authorities,” the IOM said.
“One survivor reported losing her husband, while the other said she lost her two babies in the tragedy. “
The IOM said its teams provided the survivors with emergency medical care after they were brought ashore.
According to survivor reports, the boat carrying migrants and refugees of different African nationalities left Al-Zawiya, Libya, at approximately 11:00 p.m.
“According to survivor accounts, the boat — carrying migrants and refugees of African nationalities departed from Al-Zawiya, Libya, at around 11:00 pm on February 5. Approximately six hours later, it capsized after taking on water,” the agency said.
About six hours into the journey, the vessel began taking on water and capsized.
The tragedy occurred along the Central Mediterranean route, one of the world’s deadliest migration corridors.
IOM data show 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.
In 2025, over 1,300 migrants have vanished in the Central Mediterranean, according to IOM’s Missing Migrants Project.
At least 484 migrants have been reported dead or missing along the route in 2026 as a result of the most recent incident.
Smuggling and trafficking organisations continue to take advantage of migrants trying to make the perilous trek from North Africa to southern Europe, frequently by using overcrowded and unseaworthy boats, the IOM said in a statement.
The agency called for stronger international cooperation to dismantle networks and expand safe, regular migration pathways, thereby reducing the risks migrants and refugees face.
