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At least 50 migrants are missing after a boat carrying people attempting to reach Europe sank off the Libyan coast in the Mediterranean Sea, officials said.
The incident occurred on Tuesday night when a motorised wooden boat carrying around 60 passengers set out from the eastern Libyan city of Tobruk toward Italy. Shortly after departure, the vessel capsized in rough waters.
Coastguard officials said most passengers were swept away by strong currents after the boat sank.
Only 10 people managed to swim to nearby Barda Island, located about 70 kilometres west of Tobruk near the Egyptian border, where they were later rescued alive.
The missing migrants are believed to be from South Asia, the Middle East, and North Africa—regions where many risk dangerous journeys in search of better economic opportunities.
Security sources indicated that the overcrowded and dilapidated vessel had been carrying migrants in extremely harsh conditions. At least four deaths have already been reported before or during the incident.
The tragedy follows a similar incident last month in which 51 migrants went missing after another boat sank off Libya’s coast.
According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), more than 800 migrants have gone missing along this route in the first four and a half months of 2026 alone.
Libya remains a major and highly risky departure point for migrants attempting to cross the Mediterranean with the help of human traffickers.
Since the fall of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, Libya has become a key transit hub for thousands of migrants from sub-Saharan Africa and beyond, many fleeing conflict and poverty and risking perilous journeys across the desert and sea in hopes of reaching Europe.
