Deadly Route Claims More Victims: 50 Dead or Missing at Sea

A tragedy has struck again in the Mediterranean Sea after a boat carrying around 60 migrants, including women and children, capsized off Libya’s eastern coast. The incident left at least 50 people reported dead or missing as the vessel was en route to Europe.

The eastern Libyan Coast Guard said the accident occurred on Tuesday near Bardaa Island, not far from the city of Tobruk. “Ten people survived by swimming to Bardaa Island, while the search for the other victims continues,” the Coast Guard said, as quoted by The Associated Press on Thursday (16 July 2026).

According to local authorities, the boat was carrying migrants attempting to cross the Mediterranean to reach the European coast. Search and rescue operations are still under way to locate other passengers whose fate remains unknown.

The incident is the latest maritime tragedy in Libyan waters, which for years have served as one of the main departure points for migrants from Africa and the Middle East heading to Europe. Last month, a similar shipwreck off Libya’s eastern coast also killed or left missing 51 migrants.

Libya has remained the main transit route for migrants since the country descended into conflict following the NATO-backed uprising in 2011, which culminated in the overthrow and death of longtime leader Moammar Gadhafi. Political instability has allowed human smuggling networks to operate freely in the region.

Smugglers typically transport migrants in small, overcrowded and unseaworthy boats. These conditions have made the journey across the Mediterranean one of the deadliest migration routes in the world.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) recorded more than 800 migrants dead or missing on the central Mediterranean route between 1 January and 16 May this year. “Last year, more than 1,300 migrants died or went missing on this route,” the IOM said, underlining the high risks that continue to face asylum seekers and migrants attempting to reach Europe.