3 Dead in Mediterranean Migrant Boat Crossing

At least three people, including two young children aged just three and four, have died during a perilous Mediterranean crossing from Libya to Italy, according to the German humanitarian group RESQSHIP.

The victims were among a group of migrants stranded at sea for days after their boat’s engine failed shortly after departure from Libya.

The children and an adult man died aboard a rubber dinghy carrying 62 people attempting the dangerous journey to Europe.

RESQSHIP reported that their rescue vessel, the Humanity 1, arrived too late to save them after intercepting the drifting boat south of Lampedusa on Saturday afternoon.

The deceased were brought to shore on the Italian island of Lampedusa on Sunday. A paramedic aboard the rescue mission said the two children likely died of extreme dehydration the day before help arrived. The adult man was found unconscious and passed away despite immediate resuscitation efforts.

RESQSHIP confirmed that 59 survivors were rescued from the unseaworthy vessel, many of whom suffered severe chemical burns from prolonged exposure to a mixture of salt water and spilled fuel.

Survivors had been drifting without food, water, or medical care for nearly three days after launching from western Libya on Wednesday.

Lampedusa, a small Italian island positioned between Libya, Tunisia, and Sicily, continues to be a primary landing point for migrants risking the central Mediterranean route, one of the deadliest migration paths in the world.

According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), nearly 25,000 people have died or gone missing while attempting to cross the Mediterranean from North Africa to Europe since 2014. The year 2023 saw about 1,700 deaths, with at least 378 more recorded so far this year.

Despite controversial EU-backed agreements with Libya in 2017 and Tunisia in 2023 tragedies at sea persist. Human rights groups have condemned these deals, citing reports of abuse, unlawful detention, and lack of accountability among local authorities.