53 migrants useless or lacking in shipwreck off Libya coast, U.N. company says, with 2 infants amongst these lacking

Geneva – The United Nations migration company mentioned Monday that 53 folks have been useless or lacking after a ship capsized within the Mediterranean Sea off the Libyan coast. Solely two survivors have been rescued.

The Worldwide Group for Migration mentioned the boat overturned Friday north of Zuwara, a metropolis on the northwest coast of Libya that is about 180 miles from the Italian island of Lampedusa, which many migrants try to succeed in by boat from the African shoreline.

“Solely two Nigerian girls have been rescued throughout a search-and-rescue operation by Libyan authorities,” the IOM mentioned in an announcement, including that one of many survivors mentioned she misplaced her husband and the opposite mentioned “she misplaced her two infants within the tragedy.”

The IOM mentioned its groups supplied the 2 survivors with emergency medical care upon disembarkation.

“Based on survivor accounts, the boat — carrying migrants and refugees of African nationalities departed from Al-Zawiya, Libya, at round 11:00 p.m. on February 5. Roughly six hours later, it capsized after taking over water,” the company mentioned. “IOM mourns the lack of life in yet one more lethal incident alongside the Central Mediterranean route.”

The Geneva-based company mentioned trafficking and smuggling networks have been exploiting migrants alongside the route from north Africa to southern Europe, making the most of harmful crossings in unseaworthy boats whereas exposing folks to “extreme abuse.”  

It known as for stronger worldwide cooperation to deal with the networks, alongside protected and common migration pathways to scale back dangers and save lives.

Based on the IOM, a minimum of 375 migrants have been reported useless or lacking following shipwrecks within the Central Mediterranean in January alone, with tons of extra deaths believed to have gone unrecorded. 

“These repeated incidents underscore the persistent and lethal dangers confronted by migrants and refugees making an attempt the damaging crossing,” the U.N. company mentioned, including that over 1,300 migrants went lacking within the Central Mediterranean in 2025 and, this 12 months, already the overall as of Monday was a minimum of 484.