At least 22 migrants, including a newborn and three children, have died following the capsizing of two boats off the Italian island of Lampedusa on Wednesday, humanitarian agencies have confirmed. The tragedy adds to the mounting death toll in the central Mediterranean, one of the world’s most perilous migration routes.
The boats, believed to have departed from Zawiya, Libya, on Tuesday evening, were carrying around 97 people according to survivors. Fifty-six men and four women were rescued, but many others remain unaccounted for. The Italian Red Cross, which manages the island’s migrant reception centre, said it was still unclear how many were originally on board.
Survivors recounted to Italian news agency ANSA that one of the boats began to capsize mid-journey. In a desperate attempt to survive, some passengers clambered onto the second vessel, which became dangerously overloaded and began taking on water. Among the first bodies recovered and transported to Lampedusa’s mortuary were those of a newborn, three children, two women, and two men.
The shipwreck occurred about 14 nautical miles from Lampedusa and was first detected by a surveillance plane operated by Italy’s financial police. The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) reported that there may be as many as 20 more migrants still missing.
“This is yet another heartbreaking tragedy in the Mediterranean,” said Filippo Ungaro, UNHCR spokesperson, in a social media statement. “We are assisting the survivors, but the loss is immeasurable.”
According to UNHCR data, 675 migrants have died along the central Mediterranean route so far this year. Italy’s Interior Ministry reports that 38,263 migrants have reached its shores since January.
Italy’s Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi said the disaster underscored the “urgency of preventing dangerous sea journeys from countries of departure” and combating the “ruthless trafficking business” behind them.
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s hard-right government has pursued agreements with North African nations to curb departures, offering funding and training in exchange for tighter border controls. Critics, however, argue such measures do little to address the underlying humanitarian crises driving migration.
As rescue operations continue, the waters off Lampedusa remain both a gateway to hope for thousands and a graveyard for too many seeking a better life.
