Two Nigerian women survived the shipwreck and were provided emergency medical care upon their rescue
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NEED TO KNOW
- 53 people, including two babies, have been reported dead or missing after a 55-passenger migrant boat capsized off the coast of Libya
- “IOM mourns the loss of life in yet another deadly incident along the Central Mediterranean route,” the International Organization for Migration said in a statement
- In January alone, at least 375 migrants were reported dead or missing following “invisible” shipwrecks in the area
Two babies are among the dozens of people dead or missing after a migrant boat sank off the coast of Libya.
On Monday, Feb. 9, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) reported that 53 migrants have been declared dead or missing after a rubber boat carrying 55 individuals capsized north of Zuwara, Libya, three days prior.
Two Nigerian women survived the shipwreck and were provided emergency medical care by Libyan authorities upon their rescue, per the UN migration agency. One of the survivors reported losing her husband, while the other woman said she lost her two babies in the tragic accident.
“According to survivor accounts, the boat — carrying migrants and refugees of African nationalities departed from Al-Zawiya, Libya, at around 11:00 p.m. on 5 February,” the agency stated. “Approximately six hours later, it capsized after taking on water.”
“IOM mourns the loss of life in yet another deadly incident along the Central Mediterranean route,” the agency added.
In January alone, at least 375 migrants were reported dead or missing following “invisible” shipwrecks in the Central Mediterranean that were left unrecorded amid extreme weather conditions, according to data collected by the IOM.
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The latest incident brings the number of migrants reported missing or dead up to at least 484 in 2026 so far. in 2025, 1,300 migrants were reported missing along the Central Mediterranean route.
“IOM warns that trafficking and smuggling networks continue to exploit migrants along the Central Mediterranean route, profiting from dangerous crossings in unseaworthy boats while exposing people to severe abuse and protection risks,” the agency wrote in a statement. “IOM stresses the need for stronger international cooperation and protection-centered responses to address smuggling and trafficking networks, alongside safe and regular migration pathways to reduce risks and save lives.”
After the tragedy, Meterranea Saving Humans, a civil society group that attempts to rescue migrants from shipwrecks, claimed that the incident was “the direct result of European border closure policies, agreements with Libya and criminalization of sea aid.”
“Not only names are missing here: the political will to not let people die in the Mediterranean is missing,” the organization wrote on social media. “When safe ways are denied, risking your life at sea is the only option. These deaths are the product of precise decisions, of armed borders, of policies that decide every day who can live and who can die."
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