- At least 27 migrants drowned after two boats capsized near Lampedusa
- Around 60 survivors rescued; search for others continues
- Over 90 migrants were aboard both boats, says IOM
At least 27 migrants have died after two boats capsized in the Mediterranean Sea while attempting the perilous journey from Libya to Italy.
Around 60 survivors were rescued off the coast of Lampedusa, a small Italian island that frequently receives migrant arrivals. Search efforts are ongoing for others still missing at sea.
According to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), more than 700 migrants have died attempting to cross the central Mediterranean so far this year.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni extended her “deepest condolences” to the victims and their families. The UNHCR also expressed “deep anguish” over the tragedy.
Flavio Di Giacomo, spokesperson for the UN’s International Organization for Migration (IOM), said over 90 people were aboard the two boats when they overturned.
One Somali woman who survived the ordeal shared a heart-wrenching account with La Repubblica, describing how she lost her husband and one-year-old daughter during the chaos.
“All hell broke loose,” she said. “I never saw them again. My little girl slipped away. I lost them both.”
While the exact cause of the disaster remains unconfirmed, some survivors reported that when one boat capsized, its passengers climbed into the second, which also began sinking under the weight.
“We had set out in two boats. When one capsized, everyone moved to the other. But then that one started taking on water too,” a survivor told the paper.
In a statement, PM Meloni described the incident as a “tragedy that stirs deep dismay and compassion,” adding that it underscores “the inhumane cynicism of human traffickers who organize these deadly voyages.”
Lampedusa, which hosts a migrant reception center, regularly struggles with overcrowding and harsh conditions. Tens of thousands of migrants arrive there each year after enduring the dangerous central Mediterranean route in overcrowded, unseaworthy vessels.
According to the IOM, more than 25,000 migrants have died or gone missing while trying to cross this route since 2014.
