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At least 20 migrants lost their lives after their boat capsized in the Mediterranean on Wednesday, with many others still unaccounted for, according to the UNHCR.
“Heartbreaking news from the latest shipwreck off Lampedusa, where UNHCR is now assisting the survivors. So far, authorities have recovered around 20 bodies, with a number still missing,” wrote UNHCR spokesperson Filippo Ungaro on social media.
Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi confirmed the incident, stating that the shipwreck happened 14 nautical miles from Lampedusa. The vessel carried approximately 97 people when it overturned, reports Radio Radicale.
Details are still limited, but Save the Children Italy has reported that a one-and-a-half-year-old girl appears to be among those lost in the wreck. Rai Radio 1 indicated that between 12 and 17 migrants are missing, and about 60 survivors have been rescued and brought to safety on the island. The boat, already overturned, was spotted from the air by an Italian financial police plane.
Migrants attempting to reach Italy from North Africa frequently cross in overcrowded or poorly maintained boats through the central Mediterranean, one of the world’s deadliest migration routes, arriving on Lampedusa.
UNHCR data shows that there have been 675 migrant deaths on this route so far in 2023. As of Wednesday, Italy’s interior ministry reports that 38,263 migrants have reached its shores this year.
Piantedosi emphasized on social media that this tragedy highlights the urgent need to prevent dangerous sea journeys before departure and to crack down on the ruthless traffickers fueling this crisis. The right-wing government of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has negotiated agreements with North African nations, providing funding and training to help curb departures and stem the flow of migrants attempting the perilous crossing.
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