At least 53 people are feared dead after a rubber boat carrying migrants and refugees capsized off the coast of Libya, according to the United Nations’ migration agency.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) said only two passengers survived the incident — both Nigerian women — after they were rescued by Libyan authorities on Friday. The boat had been carrying 55 people, including two infants, from several African countries.
IOM reported that the vessel left the coastal city of al-Zawiya in north-western Libya late Thursday night. Around six hours into the journey, the boat reportedly began taking on water and overturned in the Mediterranean Sea, north of the town of Zuwara.
The agency said it is unclear why details of the tragedy only emerged days later.
One of the survivors told IOM she lost her husband in the incident, while the other said both of her babies drowned. Emergency medical assistance was provided to the women following their rescue.
According to IOM figures, nearly 500 migrants have been reported dead or missing while attempting to cross the Mediterranean from Libya so far in 2026. The agency added that at least 375 people were reported dead or missing in January alone, many during what it described as “invisible” shipwrecks that occurred amid harsh winter conditions.
Libya has become a major departure point for migrants from sub-Saharan Africa seeking to reach Europe since the collapse of state authority following the 2011 overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi.
Despite repeated fatal incidents, migrants continue to attempt the perilous crossing, often due to the harsh conditions they face inside Libya. UN human rights officials have repeatedly documented cases of torture, human trafficking, forced labour, extortion and other abuses committed by both state-linked forces and armed groups.
IOM says smuggling and trafficking networks continue to profit by placing migrants onto overcrowded and unsafe vessels, significantly increasing the risk of deadly accidents at sea.
The agency has renewed calls for stronger international cooperation to dismantle criminal smuggling networks and to expand safe and legal migration routes in order to reduce loss of life.
Many migrant boats that sink are never officially reported, leaving families without answers as their loved ones disappear without trace.
Several countries, including the UK, Spain, Norway and Sierra Leone, have urged Libyan authorities to close migrant detention centres, where rights organisations say detainees have been subjected to abuse, torture and even death.