Only 13 survivors from capsized boat carrying 74 refugees off Libya: UNHCR

UN agency says dozens killed after a boat carrying mostly Sudanese refugees capsized near the Libyan town of Tobruk.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Libya said that only 13 people survived after a vessel carrying 74 people, mostly Sudanese refugees, capsized on Tuesday off the coast of the eastern Libyan town of Tobruk.

Dozens remain missing, it said in a post on social media on Wednesday.

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On Tuesday, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said at least 50 people died after the vessel caught fire. The United Nations migration agency said that it provided medical support to 24 survivors.

“Because safe and legal pathways are available to only a very small number of people, the real solution is to end the war in Sudan so families can return home in safety and not take these dangerous journeys,” UNHCR said.

UNHCR is deeply saddened by a second tragic boat incident off Tobruk on 13 September where a vessel carrying 74 people Mostly Sudanese refugees capsized.

Only 13 people survived & dozens remain missing.

Our condolences to the families & loved ones of those who lost their lives pic.twitter.com/GaVSBiQtJU

— UNHCR Libya (@UNHCRLibya) September 17, 2025

The war in Sudan between the army and paramilitary forces has pushed more than 140,000 refugees into Libya in the past two years, nearly doubling the number of Sudanese refugees in the country.

The disaster was the latest to befall refugees and migrants making the perilous Mediterranean crossing from Africa to Europe.

In August, at least 27 people died after two boats sank off the southern Italian island of Lampedusa, while in June, at least 60 refugees and migrants were feared missing and drowned at sea after two shipwrecks off the coast of Libya.

At least 456 people died and 420 were reported missing along the central Mediterranean route between January 1 and September 13, according to the IOM.

Libya, home to around 867,055 migrants, has emerged as a transit route for migrants or refugees trying to reach Europe since the fall of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.

Since his overthrow, Libya has struggled to form a strong state after years of dictatorship. The country is currently divided between two rival governments, with rival militias frequently coming into conflict in the oil-rich country.

Rights groups and UN agencies have documented systematic abuse against refugees and migrants in Libya, including torture, rape and extortion.