53 migrants dead or missing after boat capsizes off Libya's coast

2026-02-09 - 13:55

A rubber boat carrying migrants capsized off the coast of Libya, leaving 53 people dead or missing, the United Nations migration agency reported on Monday. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) stated that only two Nigerian women survived the Friday disaster north of Zuwara, Libya, following a search-and-rescue operation by local authorities. Details of the Tragedy and Survivor Accounts The ill-fated vessel was carrying 55 migrants of various African nationalities, including two babies. According to survivor testimony, the boat departed from Al-Zawiya, Libya, on the evening of February 5 and capsized roughly six hours into its journey. One survivor lost her husband, while the other reported losing her two children. IOM teams provided emergency medical care to the two women upon their disembarkation. A Lethal Trend on the Central Mediterranean Route This incident underscores the extreme dangers of the Central Mediterranean route, the world's deadliest migration path. IOM data indicates the tragedy has pushed the number of migrant deaths and disappearances recorded on the route in 2026 to at least 484. In January 2025 alone, at least 375 migrants were reported dead or missing due to multiple "invisible shipwrecks," with many more fatalities believed to go unrecorded. Broader Context and Unabated Crisis The IOM's Missing Migrants Project reports that more than 1,300 migrants have vanished in the Central Mediterranean since the start of 2025. The agency mourned "the loss of life in yet another deadly incident," pointing to a combination of factors including unseaworthy vessels, severe weather, and the lack of safe and legal pathways for migration. The disaster highlights the persistent humanitarian crisis unfolding off North Africa's coast.