The UN migration agency said on Monday that 53 people are dead or missing after a boat capsized in the Mediterranean Sea off the Libyan coast. Only two survivors were rescued.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) stated that the boat overturned north of Zuwara on Friday.
In a statement, the IOM said “Only two Nigerian women were rescued during a search-and-rescue operation by Libyan authorities.”
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.”
The organization called for stronger international cooperation to tackle these networks.
