 "A migrant boat en route from Tunisia in North Africa to Europe sunk, leading to the death of at least 6 onboard. Another 56 are missing. Image used for representative purpose/Reuters")
Forty migrants are missing, and six bodies have been recovered following a shipwreck in the Mediterranean, according to a report from the United Nations on Wednesday, March 19. Italian media indicated that the incident occurred near the island of Lampedusa.
“Too many more dead in a new shipwreck in the Mediterranean: saved on a rubber dinghy, the survivors report having left Sfax in Tunisia on the 17th,” UNHCR representative Chiara Cardoletti said on X.
The representative also added that the inflatable dinghy, which was originally carrying 56 people, began to deflate and take on water after a few hours of sailing.
Italy’s coastguard and financial police pulled 10 people to safety– six men and four women– off the tiny rocky outcrop of Lampione, according to Italian media reports.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsSurvivors claimed that some of the missing people had fallen overboard in rough seas, according to the AGI news agency.
The tragic incident comes just a day after a migrant boat sank in international waters off the southern coast of Cyprus. State-run television in the West Asian country reported Monday (March 17) that seven bodies have been recovered and two people had been rescued after a boat carrying migrants sank off the south coast of the island.
The rescue mission could not find any more survivors despite long hours of recovery efforts.
Local media said that 21 people, mostly Syrian migrants, were on board the boat. The vessel was found on Tuesday morning by the Search and Rescue Coordination Centre. It had sunk four days ago.
With inputs from agencies