The UN migration agency said 53 people had died or were missing after a boat capsized in the Mediterranean Sea off the Libyan coast. Only two survivors were rescued.
The International Organization for Migration said the boat overturned north of Zuwara on Friday.
“Only two Nigerian women were rescued during a search and rescue operation by Libyan authorities,” the IOM said in a statement, adding that one of the survivors said she lost her husband and the other said she had “lost her two babies in the tragedy”.
The IOM said its teams provided the two survivors with emergency medical care.
“According to survivor accounts, the boat – carrying migrants and refugees of African nationalities departed from Al-Zawiya, Libya, at about 11pm on 5 February. Approximately 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 trafficking and smuggling networks were exploiting migrants along the route from north Africa to southern Europe, profiting from dangerous crossings in unseaworthy boats while exposing people to “severe abuse”.
It called for stronger international cooperation to tackle the networks, alongside safe and regular migration pathways to reduce risks and save lives.
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