More than fifty migrants, including two infants, are feared dead or missing after a rubber boat carrying 55 people overturned in the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Libya, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said on Monday.
The accident happened north of the coastal town of Zuwara on 6 February. Only two women from Nigeria were pulled from the water during a rescue operation led by Libyan authorities. One survivor said she lost her husband, while the other reported that both of her babies drowned in the disaster.
IOM expressed deep sorrow over the latest loss of life on the Central Mediterranean route, one of the world’s most dangerous migration paths. Its teams provided the two survivors with urgent medical treatment after they were brought ashore, working with local authorities.
Survivors said the boat, carrying migrants and refugees from several African countries, left the area of Al-Zawiya around 11 p.m. on 5 February. About six hours into the journey, water began to flood the vessel, causing it to capsize.
IOM figures show that January alone saw at least 375 migrants reported dead or missing in the Central Mediterranean, many in so-called “invisible” shipwrecks during severe weather. Officials believe many more deaths are never recorded.
According to IOM’s Missing Migrants Project, over 1,300 people disappeared on this route in 2025. With this latest tragedy, the number of migrants reported dead or missing in 2026 has risen to at least 484.
IOM warned that human smuggling and trafficking groups continue to exploit desperate people, sending them to sea in unsafe boats and exposing them to serious abuse and danger. The agency called for stronger international cooperation and protection-focused responses, as well as safe and legal migration options, to prevent further loss of life.
