Babies Among 55 Killed as Migrant Boat Capsizes off Libyan Coast

Safiya Mohammed Bello

At least 55 people, including two babies, have been declared dead or missing after a rubber migrant boat capsized off Libya’s central Mediterranean coast.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) confirmed that the vessel, carrying 55 people, overturned north of the coastal city of Zuwara, in northwestern Libya, on February 6. Libyan authorities rescued two women over the weekend. One survivor said her husband had drowned, while the other revealed that she had lost her two babies. Both women reported that the overcrowded vessel was carrying migrants and refugees from several other African countries.

According to the UN migration agency, the boat overturned after departing Zawiya at about 11 p.m. on Thursday. It reportedly began taking on water six hours into the journey before capsizing and was believed to be headed for the Italian island of Lampedusa, roughly 350 kilometres away.

The IOM warned that the shipwreck underscores the growing dangers faced by migrants attempting the perilous Mediterranean crossing, particularly amid severe winter conditions. The agency cautioned that many deaths may never be officially recorded.

Preliminary findings by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) also revealed that some migrants had been held in captivity and tortured for ransom. The discovery followed a raid on an illegal detention site in Ajdabiya, where authorities freed 221 migrants and refugees, including women, children, and a one-month-old infant.

This is the latest in a series of migrant boat mishaps highlighting the increasing risks faced by Africans attempting the dangerous journey to Europe.