At least 26 migrants dead in Lampedusa shipwreck

Two boats carrying refugees and migrants have sunk off the southern Italian island of Lampedusa, leading to the death of at least 26 people, with some reported missing as search operations continue.

An Italian law enforcement aircraft spotted a capsized boat with bodies in the water about 23km (14 miles) off Lampedusa on Wednesday morning, triggering a rescue operation.

According to the Italian Red Cross and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), 56 men and four women were brought ashore to Lampedusa by Rescue services on Wednesday.

“Around 95 people had been travelling on the two vessels. Given that 60 people had been rescued, approximately 35 victims are feared dead or missing,” Flavio Di Giacomo, a spokesperson for the UN’s International Organisation for Migration (IOM) wrote on social media.

Initial accounts indicate that the rescued people departed from Tripoli, Libya, in the early hours of Wednesday morning. Since the beginning of this year, the Italian UNHCR has reported that 675 people died in the central Mediterranean while trying to make the crossing.

The migration route from northern Africa to southern Europe is considered one of the most dangerous in the world, with almost 24,500 people dying or disappearing on the Mediterranean crossing in the past decade.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s right-wing government has pledged to block refugee and migrant sea journeys from Africa. It has passed laws against human smugglers, including tougher prison sentences.

She also urged allies to do more to stop migration attempts.