Four migrants have been pulled to safety from the Mediterranean Sea more than five days after the vessel carrying them capsized off the coast of Libya, in one of the more remarkable survivals amid an ongoing search and rescue operation off eastern Libya.
The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) and three Libyan sources confirmed the rescues on Monday. Ten migrants were reported dead in the incident off Tobruk, in eastern Libya, while 31 remained missing. Six bodies were recovered on Saturday after washing ashore.
The IOM said the search and rescue operation was continuing. Security sources identified the migrants as nationals of Egypt and Sudan.
Local sources and eyewitnesses reported that the vessel had been carrying a number of migrants far exceeding its capacity, and capsized amid poor maritime conditions. The area off Tobruk is among the most active flashpoints on the irregular migration route, where migrants attempting to reach Europe frequently face perilous conditions at sea.
The incident adds to an already devastating toll on the Central Mediterranean route in 2026. At least 990 people have died or gone missing in the Mediterranean since January 2026, with the Central Mediterranean alone recording around 765 deaths, more than double the 287 deaths recorded during the same period in 2025 and one of the worst starts to a year since the IOM began tracking migrant deaths in 2014.
Libya is a key transit point for migrants, many of whom come from sub-Saharan Africa, risking their lives to escape conflict and poverty by crossing the desert and the sea in bids to reach Europe. United Nations data compiled at the end of the previous year suggests that the country’s 100 municipalities now host well over 900,000 migrants.
IOM Director General Amy Pope has repeatedly called for stronger international coordination in response to the mounting losses. “Saving lives must come first. But we also need stronger, unified efforts to stop traffickers and smugglers from exploiting vulnerable people, and to expand safe and regular pathways,” she said.
