Tragedy at Sea: Migrant Boat Sinks Off Lampedusa

A boat carrying nearly 100 migrants capsized Wednesday in international waters near the Italian island of Lampedusa, resulting in the tragic loss of at least 20 lives, while a dozen remain missing, according to the UN refugee agency and local authorities.

Filippo Ungaro, a spokesperson for the UNHCR in Italy, confirmed that 60 survivors were transported to a center in Lampedusa. Survivor accounts indicate that 92 to 97 individuals were aboard when the vessel left Libya. Currently, 20 bodies have been retrieved, with searches ongoing for the missing 12 to 17 people, the UNHCR reported. The duration at sea before the incident is still unknown. Lampedusa Mayor Filippo Mannino mentioned the shipwreck likely occurred at dawn. So far this year, 675 migrants have perished on the central Mediterranean crossing, excluding this recent sinking.

Expressing sorrow over the disaster, Ungaro noted on social media platform X that UNHCR is offering assistance to the survivors. The first half of 2025 saw 30,060 refugees and migrants reaching Italy by sea, reflecting a 16 percent rise compared to the prior year. This north African to southern European irregular migration route remains one of the most hazardous worldwide, with nearly 24,500 deaths or disappearances over the past decade, as stated by the International Organisation for Migration.

Small boats departing from Tunisia and Libya are responsible for most of these tragedies. The deadliest shipwreck off Lampedusa transpired on October 3, 2013, involving over 500 migrants from Eritrea, Somalia, and Ghana, and resulting in at least 368 fatalities. The catastrophe spurred an international demand for resolving the crisis.

(With inputs from agencies.)