At least six migrants have died and 40 are missing following a shipwreck off the Italian island of Lampedusa, according to a spokesperson for the United Nations' Refugee Agency (UNHCR).
The Italian coastguard reported that it intervened after being alerted to a distressed rubber dinghy on Tuesday, discovering 10 survivors and six bodies. Search and rescue efforts continued into Wednesday, although poor weather hampered operations. The coastguard received support from aircraft supplied by the army and police, as well as from the European Union's border agency, Frontex.
Survivors informed rescuers that many among a group of 56 migrants—from Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Guinea, and Mali—had fallen into the water a few hours after departing from the Tunisian city of Sfax due to worsening conditions.
The rescued migrants are receiving assistance in Lampedusa from the UNHCR and the International Rescue Committee (IRC), with psychological support provided by the Italian Red Cross.
Lampedusa, located in the Mediterranean between Tunisia, Malta, and Sicily, serves as a primary entry point for many migrants attempting to reach the EU from North Africa, which is known to be one of the deadliest sea crossings.
In the previous year, over 66,600 sea migrants arrived in Italy, a number that is less than half of the figure for 2023, while approximately 9,000 have reached Italian shores so far this year, according to the Italian interior ministry.