Security & Safety
Shipwreck Off Lampedusa: 6 Migrants Dead, 40 Missing – UNHCR
At least six migrants have died, and 40 remain missing after a shipwreck off the Italian island of Lampedusa, the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) reported on Wednesday.
According to the Italian coastguard, the distress call came on Tuesday regarding a rubber dinghy in trouble. Rescuers managed to find ten survivors and retrieved six bodies, while search operations continued into Wednesday.
Difficult weather conditions have hampered the rescue efforts, with Italian authorities receiving support from military and police aircraft, as well as the European Union’s border agency, Frontex.
A UNHCR spokesperson stated that survivors recounted how many among the 56 migrants—hailing from Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Guinea, and Mali—fell into the sea due to rough weather shortly after departing from Sfax, Tunisia.
The rescued migrants are receiving assistance in Lampedusa from the UNHCR and its partner, the International Rescue Committee (IRC), while the Italian Red Cross is providing psychological support.
Lampedusa, situated between Tunisia, Malta, and Sicily, remains a major entry point for migrants attempting the perilous journey across the Mediterranean to reach Europe. The sea route is considered one of the deadliest for migrants fleeing hardship in North Africa.
Italian interior ministry figures indicate that more than 66,600 migrants arrived in the country by sea last year, less than half of the 2023 total. So far this year, approximately 9,000 migrants have reached Italian shores.
(Reuters/NAN)