Libya Boat Tragedy: Two Nigerians Survive, 53 Feared Dead

A rubber boat carrying 55 passengers, including two babies, overturned off the coast of Libya, the UN migration agency has said.

The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) said on its website on Monday that two Nigerians rescued by the Libyan authorities during a search-and-rescue operation on Friday were the only survivors.

IOM said the boat carrying migrants and refugees from various African countries sank after approximately six hours at sea. The boat had departed from the coastal city of al-Zawiya in north-western Libya.

According to IOM, one of the survivors reported losing her husband in the incident, while the other said she lost her two babies when the boat capsized.

“IOM mourns the loss of life in yet another deadly incident along the Central Mediterranean route,” the organisation said.

It added that its teams provided emergency medical assistance to the survivors upon disembarkation in coordination with relevant authorities.

IOM data disclosed that at least 375 migrants were reported dead or missing in January alone, following several “invisible” shipwrecks in the Central Mediterranean, many of which went unrecorded due to extreme weather conditions.

IOM’s Missing Migrants Project also disclosed that more than 1,300 migrants have gone missing along the Central Mediterranean route in 2025, adding that the latest tragedy brings the number of migrants reported dead or missing on the route in 2026 to at least 484.

IOM cautioned that human trafficking and smuggling networks continue to exploit migrants, subjecting them to dangerous crossings in unseaworthy boats while exposing them to severe abuse and protection risks.

It further called for stronger international cooperation to dismantle smuggling and trafficking networks, alongside the creation of safe and legal migration pathways to reduce deaths at sea.