.jpeg?width=1200&auto=webp&trim=1%2C0%2C1%2C0&ssl=1 "Dozens of migrants feared dead after boat capsizes off Libya coast")
Fifty-three migrants, including two babies, are dead or missing after a rubber boat carrying 55 people capsized off the coast of Libya, the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) said on Monday.
Two Nigerian women were rescued after the vessel overturned north of Zuwara, Libya, on 6 February.
One survivor said they lost their husband, while another reported losing her two babies when the boat sank.
The boat, which was carrying migrants and refugees from African countries, departed from Al-Zawiya, Libya, at around 11pm on Thursday 5 February. It capsized around six hours later after taking on water.
The two survivors have been provided with emergency medical care by IOM teams.
According to IOM data, at least 484 migrants have been reported dead or missing in 2026, after multiple shipwrecks in the Central Mediterranean, which is the world’s deadliest migration route.
There are believed to be hundreds more deaths which have not been recorded, the UN organisation said.
In 2025, more than 1,300 migrants died or went missing on the Central Mediterranean route.
The IOM said in a statement that trafficking 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”.
Officials in the organisation have previously warned that smugglers are using increasingly flimsy and cheap boats, in part a response to the destruction of migrant boats by government authorities in departure countries.
The Libya incident comes days after 15 migrants were killed near the Greek island of Chios following a collision between a coast guard patrol vessel and a speedboat carrying migrants.
A total of 24 migrants, including 11 children, were hospitalized on the island of Chios following the collision late on Tuesday night.
Two coast guard officers were also injured, with one remaining hospitalized Wednesday, the coast guard said.
The Greek coast guard said one of its patrol boats came across the speedboat making its way towards Chios without its navigation lights on.
