At least 26 migrants died and about 10 remain missing after two boats sank off Italy’s Lampedusa island on Wednesday, authorities confirmed.
The Italian coastguard said around 60 survivors were rescued in the central Mediterranean, a route the UN calls the world’s deadliest for migrants. Both vessels had departed Tripoli, Libya, earlier in the day, according to officials. One began taking on water, forcing passengers onto the second, which then capsized.
The Red Cross reported that survivors included 56 men and four women, while UN migration officials fear at least 35 people are dead or unaccounted for. Among the first victims brought ashore were a newborn, three children, two women, and two men, Italy’s ANSA news agency said.
Lampedusa, 145 kilometres from Tunisia, is a frequent landing point for overcrowded migrant boats attempting the perilous journey to Europe. A helicopter from Italy’s financial police spotted the overturned vessel and several bodies floating in the water, 14 nautical miles from the island.
Five ships, including one from the EU’s Frontex border agency, plus aircraft, joined the urgent search for more survivors. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni expressed condolences, condemning the “inhumane cynicism” of human traffickers who profit from such deadly crossings.
Her government, in power since October 2022, has pledged to curb migration by striking deals with North African nations to block departures. Meloni said rescue operations alone cannot solve the crisis, stressing the need to “prevent irregular departures and manage migration flows” at their source.
The UN refugee agency reports 675 migrant deaths on the central Mediterranean route this year. Italy’s interior ministry says 38,263 migrants have arrived so far in 2025. While similar to last year’s figure, the number remains far below the nearly 100,000 who landed by mid-August 2023.
