The International Organization for Migration said Monday that 53 people died or went missing after a boat sank in the Mediterranean off the Libyan coast, while two women survived. Last year, the organization recorded 1,873 migrants who died or went missing in the Mediterranean, including 1,342 on the Middle Road.
Published on: 02/09/2026 - 15:49
The International Organization for Migration reported on Monday that 53 people were killed or missing after a boat capsized north of Zuwara in Libya on Friday, in the latest disaster of its kind to befall migrants making the perilous journey across the Mediterranean in the hope of reaching Europe.
She added: "Only two Nigerian women were rescued in a search and rescue operation carried out by the Libyan authorities," adding that one of the survivors said that she lost her husband, while the other said that she "lost her two infant children in the disaster."
The organization stated that its teams provided emergency medical care to the two survivors as soon as they got off the boat.
"Water leaking into the boat"
She said: "According to the testimonies of the two survivors, the boat that was carrying migrants and refugees of African nationalities left from Zawiya in Libya at approximately eleven in the evening on February 5. After about six hours, it capsized as a result of water leaking into it."
She added that she "mourns the lives lost in another fatal accident in the Central Corridor of the Mediterranean."
In addition, the Geneva-based agency stated that smuggling networks exploit migrants along the route from North Africa to Southern Europe and profit from dangerous crossing routes on rickety boats while exposing people to “severe violations.”
It also called for strengthening international cooperation to deal with networks and provide safe and regular paths for migration to reduce risks and save people's lives.
The International Organization for Migration fears that hundreds have died since the beginning of the year while trying to cross the Mediterranean under difficult weather conditions.
“Establish legal and safe corridors”
For his part, a spokesman for the European Commission said that Brussels is trying to deal with the underlying causes of irregular migration and support the establishment of legal, safe and regulated corridors to the European Union.
The spokesman said, "These tragic events reaffirm the need to intensify joint efforts with our partners, including Libya, to prevent this type of dangerous journeys and combat criminal migrant smuggling networks that put people's lives in danger."
It is noteworthy that last year, the organization registered 1,873 migrants who died or went missing in the Mediterranean, including 1,342 on the Middle Road.
Between the beginning of 2014 and late 2025, more than 33,000 migrants died or went missing on average, according to the Missing Migrants Project of the International Organization for Migration.
France 24/AFP
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