UN says 53 migrants dead or missing after boat sinks off Libya

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) said on Monday that 53 people are dead or missing after a rubber boat carrying 55 migrants capsized off the Libyan coast. Two women survived.

In a statement, the Geneva-based agency said the vessel overturned north of Zuwara, Libya, on Friday, marking the latest tragedy involving migrants attempting the perilous Mediterranean crossing to Europe.

The IOM said only two Nigerian women were rescued during a search-and-rescue operation conducted by Libyan authorities. One survivor reported losing her husband, while the other said her two infant children had perished in the disaster. The organisation said its teams provided emergency medical assistance to the survivors upon disembarkation.

According to the women’s testimonies, the boat departed from Zawiya, Libya, at around 11pm on 5^th February, carrying migrants and refugees of African nationalities. After approximately six hours at sea, the vessel began taking on water before capsizing.

The IOM said smuggling networks continue to exploit migrants along routes from North Africa to southern Europe, sending them across on unseaworthy vessels and exposing them to severe risks and abuse.

It called for stronger international cooperation to dismantle smuggling networks and expand safe and regular migration pathways in order to reduce fatalities.

The agency warned that hundreds of people may have already died this year attempting the crossing in harsh winter conditions. According to IOM data, at least 375 migrants were reported dead or missing in January alone in the central Mediterranean, with many incidents likely unrecorded.

The latest sinking brings the number of migrants reported dead or missing on the central Mediterranean route in 2026 to at least 484. According to the IOM’s Missing Migrants Project, more than 1,300 migrants were reported missing in the same area in 2025.