Facebook Twitter (X) Instagram Somali Magazine - People's Magazine
A migrant boat carrying about 35 people capsized in the central Mediterranean while sailing from Libya, leaving one person confirmed dead and around two dozen others missing, according to UNICEF’s country coordinator for Italy, Nicola Dell’Arciprete. The tragedy occurred on Friday near Italy’s Lampedusa island, a hotspot for migrant arrivals in Europe. The Italian Coast Guard rescued 11 people from the sinking boat, including four unaccompanied children, and recovered the body of a pregnant woman.
Dell’Arciprete said the boat had spent two days at sea before overturning, likely due to harsh conditions and overcrowding. The survivors were taken to Lampedusa for medical attention, while the search continues for those still missing. The incident adds to the growing number of migrant disasters in the Mediterranean, where overcrowded and poorly equipped boats often capsize before reaching safety.
In a separate tragedy on Sunday, Italian authorities found two migrants dead and 14 others in critical condition after a vessel carrying 85 people was intercepted about 16 nautical miles from Lampedusa. The migrants, who were from Pakistan, Eritrea, and Somalia, were rescued by Italy’s tax police and transferred to Coast Guard units for emergency treatment. The critically ill survivors and the bodies were taken ashore for medical care and identification.
These back-to-back incidents highlight the ongoing humanitarian crisis facing migrants trying to cross the Mediterranean from North Africa to Europe. The central Mediterranean route, one of the deadliest migration paths in the world, continues to claim lives as desperate families flee war, poverty, and instability in search of safety and better opportunities.
Lampedusa, located between Tunisia and Sicily, has long been at the center of migrant arrivals to Italy. Its reception facilities are frequently overwhelmed as thousands attempt the dangerous journey each year. Humanitarian organizations, including UNICEF and the United Nations refugee agency, have repeatedly called for more coordinated international action to save lives and provide safer, legal migration routes.
According to data from the United Nations, more than 32,700 people have died while trying to cross the Mediterranean since 2014. Among them, an estimated one in five were children. UNICEF’s Dell’Arciprete stressed that the deaths of young people and families at sea are preventable tragedies that reflect the urgent need for governments to protect the most vulnerable.
The repeated loss of life underscores how perilous the journey remains, even with ongoing rescue operations. Despite the efforts of the Italian Coast Guard and humanitarian groups, many boats go undetected until it is too late. Aid workers say that without stronger rescue coordination, expanded search operations, and safer migration channels, the Mediterranean will continue to be a graveyard for those seeking a better life.
For now, the survivors of the latest shipwrecks are receiving medical treatment and psychological support in Lampedusa. Authorities are still searching for the missing, while humanitarian agencies assist with identifying the victims and reuniting families. The incidents serve as yet another reminder of the human cost of migration and the desperate risks taken by people with few alternatives.