Deadly Shipwrecks off Italian Coast Claim Lives and Leave Many Missing

Two tragic shipwrecks off the Italian coast on Monday resulted in the deaths of at least 11 migrants, with 66 others still missing, according to Italian authorities. A wooden sailboat found in distress about 120 miles off Calabria, southern Italy, led to the rescue of 12 people by a merchant ship. However, one woman died shortly after due to severe medical conditions. The Italian coast guard deployed two patrol boats and an ATR42 aircraft in a search and rescue operation, but no additional survivors were found by Monday evening. Reports indicate that 26 minors are among the feared dead. Survivors revealed that the sailboat had departed from Turkey the previous week, carrying migrants from Iraq, Syria, Iran, and Afghanistan. Italian prosecutors have launched an investigation into the shipwreck, a part of the ongoing crisis of migrants attempting to reach Europe via the Mediterranean.

In a separate incident near Malta, a German aid group’s rescue ship, Resqship, discovered 10 deceased migrants and rescued 51 others from a distressed vessel. The survivors, primarily from Bangladesh, Pakistan, Egypt, and Syria, were directed by the Italian Interior Ministry to disembark in Lampedusa for necessary assistance. The perilous conditions of the central Mediterranean, marked by adverse weather and substandard vessels, pose significant risks to migrants, resulting in high mortality rates.

The United Nations’ International Organization for Migration reports that nearly one thousand people have died or disappeared crossing the Mediterranean so far this year, with 3,155 recorded fatalities in 2023. The continuing search and rescue operations underscore the grave dangers faced by migrants and the urgent need for comprehensive solutions to the ongoing migrant crisis in the Mediterranean.