According to the operators of a charity rescue group, as many as 60 people are feared to have drowned while attempting to cross the Mediterranean from Libya to Italy or Malta.
SOS Mediterranee disclosed that they rescued 25 individuals in a “very weak” condition in coordination with the Italian Coast Guard on Wednesday.
Two unconscious individuals were subsequently airlifted to Sicily by helicopter as part of the rescue operation.
As per the U.N. migration agency (IOM), the central Mediterranean route ranks among the deadliest for migrants globally.
Last year, nearly 2,500 migrants lost their lives or went missing attempting the crossing, with 226 fatalities recorded since the start of 2024.
“The survivors departed from Zawiya, Libya, seven days before they were rescued,” SOS Mediterranee posted on the social media platform X.
“Their engine broke after three days, leaving their boat lost (and) adrift without water and food for days. Survivors report that at least 60 people perished on the way, including women and at least one child,” it stated.
The Italian Coast Guard has not provided an immediate comment on the matter.
However, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) expressed being “deeply troubled” by the report.
“In order to prevent further tragedies, urgent action is required to enhance maritime patrols,” the International Organization for Migration (IOM) stated on X.
SOS Mediterranee, in a post on X on Wednesday, reported that its Ocean Viking vessel had rescued 25 individuals, spotted using binoculars, who were aboard a rubber boat drifting in the Libyan search and rescue area.
Additionally, the charity disclosed that it had rescued another 113 individuals, including two children, from a wooden boat and 88 individuals from a crowded rubber dinghy during rescue operations conducted on Wednesday and Thursday.
The charity stated that it had received instructions to sail to the Italian Adriatic port of Ancona, approximately 1,500 km (930 miles) away.
However, due to the poor condition of the migrants, some of whom require oxygen masks, they requested a closer disembarkation port.
SOS Mediterranee and other humanitarian organizations have raised concerns about Italy’s right-wing government, alleging that it impedes their rescue efforts.
They contend that they are often compelled to sail to distant ports to disembark migrants and face the temporary seizure of their vessels.
Italy, along with other European Union nations, is striving to reduce the number of sea migrants crossing from North Africa.
To achieve this goal, they have provided financial assistance or equipment to Libya and Tunisia to prevent departures from their shores.
Data from the Italian Interior Ministry reveals a significant decline, with only 5,968 migrants arriving by sea so far this year, compared to 19,937 recorded at the same time in 2023.
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