At least 27 migrants, including a newborn baby, have died after an overloaded boat capsized 14 miles south of the Italian island of Lampedusa. Dozens remain missing as rescue operations continue into the night.
The vessel, carrying between 92 and 97 people, overturned at dawn on Wednesday after passengers from a second, waterlogged boat were transferred onboard. Survivors told authorities the craft, made of fiberglass, capsized under the weight of those on board.
The Italian Coast Guard has recovered 20 bodies, six of them trapped beneath the wreckage. A further 60 survivors were taken to a migrant reception centre on Lampedusa. The death toll remains provisional and is expected to rise.
Most of those on board had departed from Tripoli, Libya, on Tuesday evening. The sinking highlights the continued dangers of the central Mediterranean route, where the UNHCR reports 675 deaths so far in 2025 — not including this latest tragedy.
Mayor Filippo Mannino described the loss of life as “devastating” and called for urgent international action. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni vowed to intensify efforts against human trafficking networks, warning that current rescue operations “do not address the root causes” of irregular migration.
According to the UNHCR, 30,060 refugees and migrants arrived in Italy by sea in the first six months of this year — a 16% increase compared to 2024. The Mediterranean crossing has claimed nearly 24,500 lives in the past decade, with many fatalities linked to fragile, overcrowded boats leaving Tunisia and Libya.
The deadliest recorded disaster off Lampedusa occurred in October 2013, when a boat carrying over 500 people caught fire and capsized, killing at least 368.
Rescue efforts by the Coast Guard and humanitarian groups are expected to continue through the night as hopes fade for those still missing.
