Boat capsizes off Libya as IOM warns of rising migrant deaths and brutal trafficking routes.
The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) says two Nigerian women were rescued after a rubber boat carrying 55 migrants capsized off Libya’s coast, leaving at least 53 people— including two babies—feared dead or missing.
The boat overturned in the cold central Mediterranean, north of Zuwara, after departing Zawiya late Thursday night. Survivors said it began taking on water about six hours into the journey. One Nigerian woman lost her husband; the other lost both babies.
IOM noted the migrants— from several African countries—were likely headed for Lampedusa, Italy, a perilous route often attempted in unseaworthy dinghies. The agency warned this is one of many winter shipwrecks, with countless tragedies likely unrecorded.
Reiterating that Libya is not a safe port, IOM highlighted fresh discoveries of illegal detention sites and mass graves, where migrants were reportedly tortured for ransom. In Ajdabiya, a raid uncovered abuse; in Kufra, 221 migrants, including women and children, were freed from an underground site.
IOM said it continues to support voluntary humanitarian returns, helping 177 Nigerians fly home in late January. Still, the toll is grim: 375 dead or missing in January alone, and 781 intercepted and returned to Libya between Jan. 1 and Feb. 7.
The agency renewed calls for safer, legal migration routes and stronger international action to dismantle trafficking networks exploiting desperate people.
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