Rescue teams in Italy are still searching for missing migrants after two overcrowded boats sank off the island of Lampedusa, leaving at least 27 people dead. The victims included three minors, among them a newborn baby, as well as seven women and 13 men. Most of the 60 survivors are from Somalia, while several others are from Egypt. Authorities fear that more than a dozen people remain unaccounted for.
According to Italy’s coastguard, both boats left Tripoli, Libya, early on Wednesday. One of the boats reportedly began taking on water, forcing passengers to move to the second boat. This caused it to capsize, throwing many into the sea. An Italian helicopter spotted the overturned boat and several bodies floating about 14 nautical miles off the island. Post-mortem examinations later confirmed drowning as the cause of death for the victims recovered so far.
One Somali woman shared her heartbreaking story with local media, saying she lost both her husband and young son to the waves. “I had my son in my arms and my husband beside me. I don’t know how, but we found ourselves in the water. The waves took them both away,” she said. The tragedy has deeply affected locals, with residents and visitors leaving flowers and prayers at the Lampedusa cemetery where many of the bodies are being kept.
Lampedusa, located just 145 kilometres from Tunisia, is often the first landing point for people trying to reach Europe in small, overcrowded boats. It is also a popular tourist destination, and on Thursday, the island was filled with holidaymakers arriving for the Ferragosto public holiday, sharing the same port with rescue vessels searching for survivors.
Two of the survivors were flown to Sicily for urgent medical care, while the remaining 58 are being treated at the local reception centre run by the Red Cross. Red Cross official Imad Dalil confirmed that 21 of the survivors are minors and most are in stable condition. UN officials initially estimated about 95 people were on board the two boats, but later reports suggest the number could be as high as 110.
The UNHCR has described the Central Mediterranean as the world’s deadliest migrant sea crossing. Filippo Grandi, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, confirmed the death toll of 27 and noted that over 700 migrants and refugees have died in the area so far in 2025. He called for stronger action in rescue operations, safe migration routes, support for transit countries, and tackling the root causes of forced migration.
Despite the loss of life, migrant boats continue to arrive. The Red Cross said four more vessels were intercepted near Lampedusa overnight, and additional migrants arrived on Thursday. More than 260 people were at the island’s reception centre awaiting processing by the end of the day.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni expressed her condolences to the victims’ families and promised to intensify efforts against human traffickers. Her government, in power since 2022, has pledged to reduce the number of migrants crossing the Mediterranean. So far this year, more than 38,500 migrants have landed on Italian shores — slightly higher than last year, but far below the 100,000 recorded by this time in 2023.