At least four people have died after two boats carrying nearly 100 migrants capsized off the coast of Libya on Saturday, rescue workers have reported. Those confirmed dead were all passengers in a boat carrying 26 Bangladeshi nationals, according to the Libyan Red Crescent. The organization did not provide information about potential further fatalities among the approximately 70 passengers on a second boat, which mainly carried Sudanese migrants.
The boats were part of a migration route known as the 'deadliest' in the world according to the UN International Organization for Migration (IOM), linking North Africa and Italy. Both boats had set sail from Al Khums, a port city in northwestern Libya.
The Libyan Red Crescent shared photographs of its crew providing assistance to the survivors, alongside images of body bags on the ground. Each year, hundreds of people perish attempting to reach southern Europe aboard overcrowded and unsafe vessels. Data from the IOM indicates that more than 1,500 migrants have died or disappeared in the Mediterranean in 2025 alone, with about a third of those incidents occurring off the coast of Libya.
Libya serves as a critical departure point for many migrants, with almost 59,000 arriving in Europe through this perilous route this year, as reported by Frontex, the European Union's border security agency. Earlier reports indicated that many migrants aboard another small boat from Libya were missing and presumed dead after it capsized in the Mediterranean, with only seven survivors being rescued after being adrift for nearly a week.
The boats were part of a migration route known as the 'deadliest' in the world according to the UN International Organization for Migration (IOM), linking North Africa and Italy. Both boats had set sail from Al Khums, a port city in northwestern Libya.
The Libyan Red Crescent shared photographs of its crew providing assistance to the survivors, alongside images of body bags on the ground. Each year, hundreds of people perish attempting to reach southern Europe aboard overcrowded and unsafe vessels. Data from the IOM indicates that more than 1,500 migrants have died or disappeared in the Mediterranean in 2025 alone, with about a third of those incidents occurring off the coast of Libya.
Libya serves as a critical departure point for many migrants, with almost 59,000 arriving in Europe through this perilous route this year, as reported by Frontex, the European Union's border security agency. Earlier reports indicated that many migrants aboard another small boat from Libya were missing and presumed dead after it capsized in the Mediterranean, with only seven survivors being rescued after being adrift for nearly a week.
