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Tragedy Strikes Off Libyan Coast: 53 Feared Dead or Missing After Migrant Boat Capsizes
Geneva, Switzerland – A devastating incident in the Mediterranean Sea has left 53 people dead or missing after a migrant boat capsized off the coast of Libya. The United Nations migration agency, the International Organization for Migration (IOM), confirmed the tragedy on Monday, reporting that only two survivors were rescued.
The ill-fated vessel reportedly overturned on Friday, north of Zuwara, a city on Libya’s northwest coast. Zuwara is a common departure point for migrants attempting the perilous 180-mile journey to the Italian island of Lampedusa.
“Only two Nigerian women were rescued during a search-and-rescue operation by Libyan authorities,” the IOM stated. The agency highlighted the profound personal losses suffered by the survivors, with one reporting the death of her husband and the other mourning the loss of her two infants in the catastrophe. Both women received immediate emergency medical care upon disembarkation from IOM teams.
According to survivor accounts, the boat, carrying migrants and refugees of various African nationalities, departed from Al-Zawiya, Libya, at approximately 11:00 p.m. on February 5th. Roughly six hours later, the vessel took on water and capsized.
The IOM expressed its profound sorrow over the incident, stating, “IOM mourns the loss of life in yet another deadly incident along the Central Mediterranean route.”
The Geneva-based agency emphasized that human trafficking and smuggling networks continue to exploit vulnerable migrants along the route from North Africa to Southern Europe. These networks profit from dangerous crossings in unseaworthy boats, exposing individuals to “severe abuse.” The IOM reiterated its call for stronger international cooperation to dismantle these networks and to establish safe and regular migration pathways to mitigate risks and save lives.
The IOM’s data reveals a grim picture of the escalating crisis. In January alone, at least 375 migrants were reported dead or missing in the Central Mediterranean, with hundreds more deaths believed to have gone unrecorded.
The agency underscored that “these repeated incidents underscore the persistent and deadly risks faced by migrants and refugees attempting the dangerous crossing.” Furthermore, over 1,300 migrants went missing in the Central Mediterranean in 2025, and as of Monday, the total for the current year has already reached at least 484.