An overturned boat floating in the water,
Many Nigerians are feared dead or missing after a rubber boat carrying migrants capsized off the coast of Libya, with at least 53 people reportedly unaccounted for.
The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) confirmed the incident in a statement published on its website on Monday.
The organisation said the boat, which was transporting 55 migrants and refugees from different African countries, overturned on Friday north of Zuwara, a coastal city in Libya.
According to the IOM, only two Nigerian women were rescued during a search-and-rescue operation carried out by Libyan authorities.
The agency added that one of the survivors said she lost her husband in the incident, while the other reported that her two babies died when the boat went under.
“IOM mourns the loss of life in yet another deadly incident along the Central Mediterranean route,” the organisation said, noting that emergency medical support was provided to the rescued women after disembarkation in coordination with relevant authorities.
Survivor accounts indicated that the migrants departed Al-Zawiya, Libya, around 11:00 p.m. on February 5, but about six hours into the trip, the vessel began taking in water before capsizing.
The IOM said at least 375 migrants were reported dead or missing in January alone, following several “invisible” shipwrecks in the Central Mediterranean that were not recorded due to harsh weather.
Data from the IOM’s Missing Migrants Project also show that more than 1,300 migrants have gone missing along the same route in 2025.
The latest incident brings the number of migrants reported dead or missing on the Central Mediterranean route in 2026 to at least 484.
The organisation warned that trafficking and smuggling networks continue to exploit migrants, forcing them into dangerous journeys in unseaworthy boats while exposing them to abuse and serious protection risks.
It called for stronger international cooperation, protection-based responses, and safer migration pathways to reduce trafficking, prevent further tragedies, and save lives.
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