Tragedy off Lampedusa: 26 Dead, Dozens Missing After Migrant Boat Capsizes

Edited By : Widad WAHBI

At least 26 migrants have died and around a dozen remain missing after a boat carrying nearly 100 people capsized in international waters near the Italian island of Lampedusa on Wednesday, according to the Italian coast guard and United Nations agencies.

Sixty survivors were taken to a reception center on the island, said Filippo Ungaro, spokesperson for the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) in Italy. Survivor testimonies indicate the vessel, which departed from Libya, was carrying between 92 and 97 migrants.

The Italian coast guard, which described the death toll as “provisional and subject to updates,” confirmed that rescue operations are ongoing in search of any remaining survivors.

According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), around 95 migrants set off from Libya on two separate boats. When one began taking on water, all passengers were transferred to the second — a fiberglass vessel — which then capsized due to overloading.

The exact duration of the migrants’ time at sea remains unclear, though Lampedusa Mayor Filippo Mannino said the sinking likely occurred “at dawn.”

The UNHCR reports that 675 migrants have already lost their lives this year attempting the dangerous central Mediterranean crossing — a figure that excludes Wednesday’s tragedy. “Deep anguish over yet another shipwreck off the coast of Lampedusa, where UNHCR is now assisting the survivors,” Ungaro wrote on X.