At least 53 people, including two babies, are dead or missing after an inflatable migrant boat sank off the Libyan coast, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) reported on Monday.
The vessel, carrying 55 African migrants, departed from the western Libyan town of Zawiya shortly before midnight on Thursday and began taking on water about six hours later, before capsizing on Friday morning north of Zuwara.
Two Nigerian women survived the incident and were rescued by Libyan authorities. One reported losing her husband, while the other said she lost her two infants. The IOM attributed the tragedy to human trafficking and smuggling networks that continue to exploit migrants along the central Mediterranean
route, often using unseaworthy and overcrowded boats.
Libya remains a key transit hub for migrants fleeing conflict and poverty in Africa and the Middle East, despite years of instability following the 2011 overthrow of Moammar Gadhafi. The IOM says the number of migrants reported dead or missing on the central Mediterranean route in 2026 has now reached 484, following more than 1,300 deaths or disappearances in 2025.
The agency warned that repeated shipwrecks underscore the persistent and deadly risks faced by migrants attempting the crossing. Those intercepted and returned to Libya are frequently held in detention centres where abuses, including forced labour, violence and extortion, are widely documented and, according to UN investigators, may amount to crimes against humanity.
