53 Migrants Feared Dead as Two Nigerian Women Rescued from Capsized Boat off Libya

A total of 53 migrants, including infants, are feared dead or missing following the capsizing of a rubber boat in the Mediterranean Sea, off the coast of Libya.

The sole survivors, two Nigerian women, were rescued by Libyan officials as confirmed by the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) on Monday, February 9, 2026.

The vessel was reportedly carrying migrants and refugees hailing from various African nations.

The boat sank due to taking in water about six hours after it had departed from the coastal city of al-Zawiya in northwestern Libya.

According to the IOM, nearly 500 migrants have been reported dead or missing while attempting to cross the Mediterranean from Libya this year.

Since the ousting of longtime leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, Libya has increasingly become a departure point for migrants from sub-Saharan Africa aiming to reach Europe.

Survivors revealed to the IOM that the rubber dinghy set off at approximately 23:00 local time from al-Zawiya, west of Tripoli, and it overturned in the early hours of Friday, February 6, north of Zuwara.

The delay in reporting this tragic incident remains unexplained.

One of the survivors stated that she lost her husband during the ordeal, while the second woman shared that both of her babies had died. The IOM has provided essential medical assistance to the two women.

In January alone, the IOM reported that at least 375 migrants were either missing or dead due to a series of invisible shipwrecks in the central Mediterranean amid severe winter conditions. The real number of casualties is believed to be even higher.

Despite these recurring tragedies, migrants persist in their attempts to make the perilous crossing.

UN human rights officials have raised alarms about the torture, trafficking, forced labor, extortion, and various abuses committed by both state and non- state actors, including militia groups targeting these vulnerable individuals.

IOM has indicated that human traffickers and smuggling operations are capitalizing on the plight of migrants, pushing them onto overcrowded and unsafe vessels, which has exacerbated the rising death toll.

The agency has called for enhanced international cooperation to dismantle trafficking networks and establish safe, legal migration routes to reduce fatalities at sea.

Many shipwrecks go unreported by the smuggling networks behind them, leading to victims disappearing without any information for their families.

Countries such as the UK, Spain, Norway, and Sierra Leone have urged Libya to close detention centers where human rights organizations allege migrants are subjected to torture, abuse, and even death.