A rubber boat carrying 55 passengers, including two babies, has overturned off the coast of Libya, the UN migration agency says.

The only survivors, two Nigerian women, were rescued by the Libyan authorities on Friday, the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) announced on Monday. The boat was carrying migrants and refugees from various African countries, it said.

The boat sank after taking on water approximately six hours after departing from the coastal city of al-Zawiya in north-western Libya.

The IOM reports that almost 500 migrants have been reported dead or missing trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea from Libya so far in 2026.

After the fall of long-time leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, Libya has increasingly become a staging point for migrants from sub-Saharan Africa aiming to reach Europe.

Survivors reported that the rubber dinghy departed around 23:00 local time from al-Zawiya, capsizing a few hours later north of Zuwara.

The delays in news emerging about the tragedy remain unclear, but reports indicated that one survivor lost her husband, while the other woman indicated her two babies had perished. IOM teams have provided both women with emergency medical assistance.

In January alone, IOM reported at least 375 migrants dead or missing in several invisible shipwrecks during extreme winter weather in the Mediterranean, with fears that this toll may rise. Despite the dangers, many continue to risk the journey, drawn by perilous yet desperate hopes for a better life.

The conditions for migrants within Libya have been severely criticized, with reports of torture, trafficking, and abuse rampant in both state-run and militia-operated centers. The IOM emphasizes the need for international cooperation to dismantle smuggling networks and create safer migration pathways to prevent further loss of life at sea.

Despite ongoing tragedies, the cycle of perilous crossings continues, as many migrants opt for overcrowded and unseaworthy vessels under duress from smugglers, leaving families of the missing to mourn their unexplained fates.