At least 26 migrants drowned and dozens remain missing after a boat carrying around 100 people capsized off the coast of Lampedusa, according to Italian media reports and humanitarian organizations.
The tragedy occurred more than 22 kilometers south of the island, where rescue teams managed to recover 26 bodies and save around 60 survivors. Search operations are still underway to locate those missing.
Italian journalist and migration activist Sergio Scandura said the vessel had departed from the Libyan coast only a few days earlier.
The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) confirmed the incident, expressing “deep sorrow over yet another Mediterranean tragedy.” It noted that the death toll on the Central Mediterranean migration route has now risen to at least 675 lives lost since the beginning of the year. The UN called for the creation of safe and legal migration pathways to help prevent further disasters.
According to La Repubblica, the overturned boat was first spotted Wednesday morning by an Italian financial police helicopter. The Coast Guard, a naval police unit, and a vessel from the EU border agency Frontex immediately joined the rescue efforts.
The Central Mediterranean remains one of the deadliest migration routes in the world, where thousands risk their lives each year in unsafe and overcrowded boats in the hope of reaching Europe.
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