10/02/2026
At least 53 people are feared dead after a rubber boat carrying 55 passengers, including two babies, overturned off the coast of Libya, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
The agency said the only survivors—two Nigerian women—were rescued by Libyan authorities on Friday. The vessel, which was transporting migrants and refugees from several African countries, reportedly sank about six hours after departing from the coastal city of al-Zawiya in north-western Libya.
Survivors told IOM the boat left al-Zawiya around 23:00 local time and capsized in the early hours of Friday north of Zuwara, west of Tripoli, after taking on water. One survivor said she lost her husband, while the other reported that both her babies had died. IOM teams provided emergency medical care to the women.
The IOM says nearly 500 migrants have been reported dead or missing attempting to cross the Mediterranean from Libya so far in 2026, including at least 375 in January alone during periods of severe winter weather. The true number is believed to be higher, as many shipwrecks are never reported.
Since the fall of longtime leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, Libya has become a key departure point for migrants from sub-Saharan Africa seeking to reach Europe. Despite repeated tragedies, crossings continue amid dire conditions for migrants inside the country.
UN officials and rights groups have documented widespread abuses against migrants in Libya, including torture, trafficking, forced labour, extortion and sexual violence by both state and non-state actors. IOM says smuggling networks profit by placing people on overcrowded and unseaworthy boats, driving the rising death toll at sea.
The agency has renewed calls for stronger international cooperation to dismantle trafficking and smuggling networks, alongside the creation of safe and legal migration pathways to reduce deaths in the Mediterranean.
Several countries, including the UK, Spain, Norway and Sierra Leone, have urged Libya to shut down migrant detention centres where abuse and killings have been reported.
