53 people died or are missing after a migrant boat capsized in the Mediterranean.

There were only two survivors of the accident, and healthcare professionals have said that they needed immediate health care after being taken into custody. “Only two Nigerian women were rescued during the search-and-rescue operation by Libyan authorities,” the IOM said in a statement, adding that one of the survivors said that she lost her husband and the other said that she lost two babies in the tragedy (CBS News). This was an absolute tragedy, and it is devastating that most of the people were found dead. The boat, along with all of the people on it, were found six hours after the wreck, which is horrible to think about, acknowledging the conditions the people were in. 

The Geneva-based agency said that the trafficking and smuggling networks were responsible for exploiting migrants along the route of North Africa. This is a real problem and now 53 people are dead or missing because of it: “According to survivor accounts, the boat carrying migrants and refugees of African nationalities departed from Al-Zawiya, Libya, at around 11:00 p.m. on February 5. Approximately six hours later, it capsized after taking on water, IOM mourns the loss of life in yet another deadly incident along the Central Mediterranean route” (CBS News). 

The two women saved from the wreck are currently receiving medical care and are actively getting better. Libyan authorities are still looking for more missing people or people who unfortunately lost their lives in the wreck.