- The boat capsizes in the Mediterranean off the Libyan coast.
- Rescue teams provide emergency medical care to survivors.
- Ship takes migrants, refugees to Al-Zawiya from Africa.
The UN migration agency said on Monday that 53 people were dead or missing after a boat capsized in the Mediterranean off the Libyan coast. Only two survivors were rescued.
The International Organization for Migration said the boat capsized north of Zuwara on Friday.
“Only two Nigerian women were rescued during a search and rescue operation by the Libyan authorities,” the IOM said in a statement, adding that one of the survivors said she lost her husband and the other said “she lost her two babies in the tragedy”.
IOM said its team provided the two survivors with emergency medical care upon disembarkation.
“According to survivors’ accounts, the boat, carrying migrants and refugees of African nationality, departed from Al-Zawiya, Libya, at around 11:00 p.m. on February 5. About six hours later, it capsized after taking on water,” the agency said.
“IOM mourns the loss of life in yet another deadly incident along the central Mediterranean route.”
The Geneva-based agency said human trafficking and smuggling networks exploited migrants along the route from North Africa to southern Europe, profiting from dangerous crossings in unseaworthy boats while subjecting people to “severe abuse”.
It called for stronger international cooperation to tackle the networks, along with safe and regular migration routes to reduce risks and save lives.
