Italian Searchers Hunt Missing After Fatal Migrant Shipwreck
Italian Coastguard Seeks Missing Migrants After Lampedusa Boat Capsizes
A Frontex patrol vessel docked in Lampedusa on Thursday as authorities intensified search operations for survivors of two overcrowded boats that sank off the island on Wednesday. The incident, which claimed at least 27 lives, left dozens still unaccounted for.
Victims and Investigations
- Dead: 23 fatalities — a newborn, three minors, seven women, and 13 men — confirmed by post‑mortem checks.
- Missing: 12 or more people remain untraceable, according to testimony from among the 60 survivors, mostly from Somalia.
- Cause: One boat reportedly began taking on water, prompting passengers to climb onto the other vessel, which then capsized.
- Location: The two boats departed Tripoli, Libya, earlier Wednesday, as Italy’s coastguard reported.
Helicopter Surveillance and Human Stories
An Italian helicopter spotted a capsized boat and several bodies about 14 nautical miles off Lampedusa on Wednesday. One Somali woman, grieving the loss of her son and husband, recounted that “the waves took them both away from me.”
Lampedusa: A Tourist Hotspot and Refugee Entry Point
- Proximity: Lampedusa lies 90 miles (145 km) off Tunisia’s coast, often the first arrival point for migrants on leaky or overcrowded boats.
- Tourism: The island is famed for its white sand beaches and, during Thursday, hosted holidaymakers for the ferragosto public holiday.
- Port Use: Pleasure boats used the same port where vessels searched for the missing.
Survivors and Red Cross Care
Two survivors were evacuated by helicopter to Sicily for treatment, while 58 others were cared for at the Lampedusa reception centre, according to the Red Cross. Imad Dalil, the centre’s director, noted that 21 survivors were minors and generally in good health. The majority were Somali, with a few Egyptians.
UN High Commissioner Comments
Filippo Grandi, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, confirmed a toll of 27 deaths. He wrote that over 700 refugees and migrants have now died in 2025 in the Central Mediterranean, which the UN judges to be the world’s deadliest maritime migrant crossing. Grandi urged that “all responses—rescue at sea, safe pathways, helping transit countries and addressing root causes—must be strengthened.”
Continued Arrival and Government Response
- Intercepted: Four other migrants were intercepted off Lampedusa overnight, while more arrived on Thursday.
- Reception Centre: More than 260 people were held in the reception centre waiting for processing as of Thursday evening.
- Prime Minister: Giorgia Meloni offered her deepest condolences, vowed to step up efforts to tackle migrant traffickers, and reinforced her government’s 2022 pledge to reduce Mediterranean crossings.
- Arrival Figures: Over 38,500 migrants have arrived on Italian shores in 2025, according to interior ministry data—slightly above last year but below the 100,000 reported in 2023.
