In a statement issued on Monday, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said the vessel, which was carrying 55 people, overturned north of the coastal city of Zuwara on February 6, News.Az reports, citing Al Jazeera.
The IOM said its teams provided emergency medical assistance to the two survivors upon their disembarkation, working in coordination with the relevant authorities.
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Citing accounts from the survivors, the agency said the boat was carrying refugees and migrants from African countries. The vessel had departed from al-Zawiya at around 11 p.m. on February 5 and capsized roughly six hours later.
According to the IOM’s Missing Migrants Project, more than 1,300 people have gone missing along the perilous Central Mediterranean route in 2025. The latest incident brings the number of refugees and migrants reported dead or missing on this 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,” it added.
