Tripoli, Feb 9 (NationPress) A tragic incident occurred off the coast of Libya where fifty-three migrants, including two infants, have been reported dead or missing after their rubber boat capsized, as stated by the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) on Monday.

The ill-fated vessel, carrying 55 individuals, overturned north of the city of Zuwara, located in northwestern Libya, on Friday. Only two survivors, both women from Nigeria, were rescued by Libyan authorities, as reported by Xinhua. One of the survivors recounted the heartbreaking loss of her husband, while the other lost her two children during the tragedy.

The boat had departed from the western city of Al-Zawiya late on February 5. Survivors informed the UN migration agency that the vessel began taking on water and capsized approximately six hours into the journey.

The IOM reported that its teams provided emergency medical assistance to the survivors. The Central Mediterranean remains one of the most perilous migration routes globally, with the recent tragedy raising the death toll for 2026 to at least 484.

The agency cautioned that smuggling operations persistently exploit migrants by employing unseaworthy vessels and urged for international responses that focus on protection and the establishment of safer legal migration pathways.

In November, the IOM reported that a rubber boat carrying 49 migrants capsized off Libya's coast, resulting in 42 fatalities.

The IOM indicated that Libyan authorities executed a search and rescue operation near the Al Buri Oil Field on November 8, after the vessel from Zuwara capsized.

Survivors recounted that the boat had set sail from Zuwara on November 3. About six hours later, high waves caused engine failure, leading to the vessel capsizing and throwing all passengers into the sea.

After drifting for six days, only seven were rescued — four from Sudan, two from Nigeria, and one from Cameroon. The 42 missing migrants were presumed dead, with the majority from Sudan, Somalia, Cameroon, and Nigeria, according to the IOM.

According to data from the IOM's Missing Migrants Project, over 1,000 migrants and refugees died in the Central Mediterranean in 2025.

Libya's Ministry of Defence, aligned with the UN-recognised Government of National Unity (GNU), has targeted several boats used for smuggling illegal migrants in northwestern Libya.

As reported by the state-run Libya National TV on Facebook, airstrikes conducted in Zuwara Port, about 120 km west of Tripoli, were precise and did not result in human casualties.

Sources informed that the airstrikes followed meticulous monitoring of the smuggling networks in the area.

The ministry stated that this operation is part of ongoing efforts to combat human trafficking networks and reduce the flow of migrants along Libya's coastal regions.

Libya has long served as a significant transit hub for irregular migrants due to its geographic proximity to Europe and extensive Mediterranean coastline. Since the downfall of former leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, persistent instability and inadequate border control have facilitated the operation of smuggling networks.