Six people have been confirmed dead and 40 are missing following a migrant shipwreck in the Mediterranean, the United Nations reported on Wednesday, as Italian authorities continued their search for survivors off the coast of Lampedusa.
Chiara Cardoletti, the UNHCR representative in Italy, expressed her sorrow over the tragedy, stating on X, “Still too many dead in a new shipwreck in the Mediterranean.”
The incident involved an inflatable dinghy that departed from the Tunisian port of Sfax on Monday. After several hours of sailing, the dinghy began to deflate and take on water. The survivors reported that the vessel had carried 56 people, including individuals from the Ivory Coast, Mali, Guinea, and Cameroon.
Italy’s coastguard and police rescued 10 people—six men and four women—and are continuing to search the area for any remaining survivors. The dinghy was discovered partially deflated near Lampione, a small rocky island west of Lampedusa, which is closer to North Africa than Europe.
The survivors, who are now receiving psychological support, indicated that some of the missing individuals had fallen overboard amid rough seas.
Meanwhile, after the rescue operation, another group of 40 migrants arrived on Lampedusa, having traveled from Sfax in metal boats. On Tuesday, a total of 213 migrants arrived on the island, bringing the total number of people at Lampedusa’s reception center to 230, according to ANSA news agency.
Italy has seen an increase in migrant arrivals this year, with approximately 8,743 people reaching the country, slightly more than in the same period last year, according to Italy’s interior ministry.
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who has taken a tough stance on immigration, is committed to reducing migrant arrivals, which have significantly decreased compared to 2023 figures. Italy remains the primary entry point for many migrants making the dangerous journey across the Mediterranean from North Africa to Europe.
So far this year, the International Organization for Migration has reported that 140 people have died or gone missing attempting the crossing.
Meloni’s government has introduced a controversial plan to outsource migrant processing to Albania, a non-EU country, and expedite the repatriation of rejected asylum seekers. However, the scheme has faced legal challenges, and the purpose-built centers in Albania are currently unoccupied.
