53 migrants dead or missing after boat capsizes off Libya

TRIPOLI — A rubber boat carrying dozens of migrants capsized off the coast of ‌Libya, leaving at least 53 of them ⁠dead or missing.In a statement on Monday, the International Organization for ‌Migration (IOM) ‌said the vessel overturned north of the coastal city of Zuwara, in northwestern Libya, on February 6.Only two Nigerian women were rescued during a search-and-rescue operation by Libyan authorities. One survivor reported losing her husband, while the other said she lost her two babies in the tragedy. According to the survivors, the boat was carrying refugees and migrants from African countries.It had departed from Zawia, in northwestern Libya, at about 11 pm on February 5 and capsized approximately six hours later, it added.According to the IOM’s Missing Migrants Project, more than 1,300 people have gone missing on the dangerous central Mediterranean route in 2025. The latest incident brings the number of refugees and migrants reported dead or missing on the route this year to at least 484.“IOM data show that in January alone, at least 375 migrants were reported dead or missing following multiple ‘invisible’ shipwrecks in the Central Mediterranean amid extreme weather, with hundreds more deaths believed to be unrecorded,” the statement said.“These repeated incidents underscore the persistent and deadly risks faced by migrants and refugees attempting the dangerous crossing.” — Agencies