‎26 Dead, Dozens Missing as Migrant Boat Capsizes Off Lampedusa Amid Mediterranean Tragedy

‎At least 26 people have died and around a dozen remain missing after a migrant vessel carrying close to 100 people capsized off the coast of Lampedusa, according to the Italian coastguard and United Nations agencies.

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‎A boat carrying nearly 100 migrants capsized off Lampedusa, leaving 26 dead and many missing as rescue efforts continue in the Mediterranean.

‎AP

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‎Sixty survivors were transported to a reception facility on the Italian island, said Filippo Ungaro, spokesperson for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Italy. Survivor accounts indicate that up to 97 migrants were on board when the boat departed from Libya.

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‎Authorities continue to search for additional survivors. The Italian coastguard reported that a law enforcement aircraft spotted the overturned vessel with bodies floating in the water about 14 miles (23 km) from Lampedusa on Wednesday morning, prompting a large-scale rescue effort.

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‎The coastguard confirmed that five ships, two aircraft, and a helicopter were deployed to the scene. Officials stated that the death toll currently stands at 26, though the figure is provisional and subject to updates.

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‎Cristina Palma of the Italian Red Cross in Lampedusa said in a recorded statement that the survivors — 56 men and four women — were in “decent” health, though four required hospital care for further evaluation.

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‎Flavio Di Giacomo, spokesperson for the International Organization for Migration (IOM), said survivors reported that about 95 migrants left the Tripoli area of Libya in two boats. When one vessel began taking on water, all passengers were moved to the second, a fibreglass boat. Overcrowding caused it to capsize in international waters. The length of time the group had spent at sea remains unclear.

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Reuters

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‎Lampedusa Mayor Filippo Mannino said the disaster likely occurred around dawn. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, whose right-wing government has made curbing illegal immigration a priority, vowed on Wednesday to continue targeting “unscrupulous traffickers” by preventing irregular departures and managing migration flows.

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‎In her statement, Meloni said: “When a tragedy like this occurs, with the deaths of dozens of people in the waters of the Mediterranean, a strong sense of dismay and compassion arises in all of us... That today’s tragedy occurred despite a ready and operational international response warns us that the necessary rescue effort is not sufficient and, above all, does not address the root causes of this tragic problem.”

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‎According to UNHCR data, 675 migrants have died attempting the dangerous central Mediterranean crossing so far this year, excluding the latest incident. “Deep anguish over yet another shipwreck off the coast of Lampedusa, where UNHCR is now assisting the survivors,” Ungaro posted on X.