53 migrants lost off Libya’s coast after boat capsizes

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A tragic incident off the Libyan coast has left at least 53 migrants dead or missing after a rubber boat carrying dozens of people bound for Europe overturned in the central Mediterranean Sea, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) reported on Monday. Among those unaccounted for are two infants.

The inflatable vessel, which was carrying around 55 passengers from various African countries, departed late on February 5 from the western port town of Al-Zawiya and began taking on water roughly six hours later, survivors told the IOM. The craft capsized north of Zuwara, in northwest Libya, leaving most on board in perilous conditions.

Libyan authorities managed to rescue just two Nigerian women, who were provided emergency medical care after being brought ashore. One survivor said she lost her husband in the accident, while the other said she lost her two young children in the wreck.

The IOM said the latest shipwreck highlights the persistent dangers faced by migrants and refugees trying to reach Europe via the central Mediterranean route a treacherous crossing that has become one of the deadliest maritime migration paths in the world. The agency’s Missing Migrants Project estimates that at least 375 people were reported dead or missing in January alone along this stretch of sea, with many more likely unrecorded.

Smugglers and traffickers continue to exploit desperate individuals in Libya, using overcrowded and unsafe boats for trans-Mediterranean journeys. The IOM called for stronger international cooperation to dismantle these criminal networks and create safer, legal migration pathways to reduce the mounting death toll.

Libya’s ongoing instability, which has persisted since the 2011 overthrow of longtime ruler Moammar Gadhafi, has made the country a major transit point for irregular migration. Weak border control and the presence of competing armed groups have allowed smuggling operations to flourish, exacerbating risks for vulnerable migrants.