Two babies are among at least 53 people dead or missing after an inflatable migrant boat sank off Libya, the U.N. migration agency said on Monday (February 9, 2026), the latest tragedy on a dangerous route for those seeking a better life in Europe. The number of migrants reported dead or missing in 2026 on the central Mediterranean route now stands at 484, according to the IOM's missing migrants project. Last year saw more than 1,300 migrants dead or missing on that route, IOM said. Human traffickers in recent years have benefited from the chaos in Libya, smuggling in migrants across the country's lengthy borders, which it shares with six nations. The abuse often accompanies efforts to extort money from families of those held, before the migrants are allowed to leave Libya on traffickers' boats.

Source: The Hindu February 09, 2026 17:57 UTC