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Latest shipwreck brings the number of refugees and migrants reported dead or missing on Central Mediterranean route this year to at least 484.
Published On 9 Feb 2026
A rubber boat carrying dozens of people has capsized off the coast of Libya, leaving at least 53 people, including two babies, dead or missing.
In a statement on Monday, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said the vessel carrying 55 people had overturned north of the coastal city of Zuwara, in northwestern Libya, on February 6.
The IOM said its teams provided the two survivors with emergency medical care upon disembarkation, in coordination with the relevant authorities.
The agency cited the survivors as saying that the boat was carrying refugees and migrants from African countries.
It had departed from al-Zawiya, in northwestern Libya, at about 11pm on February 5 and capsized approximately six hours later, it added.
According to the IOM’s Missing Migrants Project, more than 1,300 people have gone missing in the dangerous Central Mediterranean route in 2025. The latest incident brings the number of refugees and migrants reported dead or missing on the route this year to at least 484.
“IOM data show that in January alone, at least 375 migrants were reported dead or missing following multiple ‘invisible’ shipwrecks in the Central Mediterranean amid extreme weather, with hundreds more deaths believed to be unrecorded,” the statement said.
“These repeated incidents underscore the persistent and deadly risks faced by migrants and refugees attempting the dangerous crossing.”
