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Italy: Migrant shipwreck off Lampedusa leaves 41 dead

August 9, 2023

More than 40 people have been killed after a migrant vessel sank, survivors of the shipwreck told Italian media. Three children were reportedly on board the vessel.

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An image of the remains of a boat that capsized off the coast of Lampedusa in 2019
The vessel capsized on its way to the Italian islandImage: Marco Gulla/AFP/Getty Images

A shipwreck off the Italian island of Lampedusa has reportedly killed 41 individuals, Italian media reported on Wednesday.

Italian news agency ANSA and RAI television cited survivors who said the vessel had set sail from the Tunisian city of Sfax to Italy.

What we know about the shipwreck

Four survivors were rescued by a Maltese cargo ship and taken to Lampedusa by the Italian coastguard and were reportedly in a state of shock, according to authorities.

The survivors, three men and a woman from Ivory Coast and Guinea, said that 45 people had been on board, including three children.

Only 15 people had been wearing safety vests, but they also drowned, the survivors said.

The vessel reportedly set off last Thursday and traveled for around six hours before it was capsized by a large wave.

The main routes migrants take to reach Europe

Migrant crossings on the rise

According to Italian authorities, more than 90,000 people have reached Italian shores this year after crossing the Mediterranean Sea.

This represents an increase of more than double in comparison to the same time period last year.

While many are intercepted off the North African coast, most of those who get through are picked up by the Italian coast guard or charity boats who take them to reception centers.

The Mediterranean crossing is one of the most dangerous migrant routes in the world. According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), almost 28,000 people have gone missing trying to cross the sea since 2014.

ab/sms (Reuters, EFE, dpa)