Filippo Grandi, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, expressed concern over the increasing death toll of asylum seekers crossing the Mediterranean Sea and called on countries to take more action to save refugees’ lives. Grandi stated that more than 700 people have lost their lives in the past eight months and emphasized the need for increased maritime rescue operations. He also urged addressing the root causes of the crisis that is forcing hundreds of thousands to migrate.
On Wednesday, a migrant boat capsized near the Italian island of Lampedusa, resulting in at least 26 deaths. According to the Italian Coast Guard, the incident occurred approximately 23 kilometers from Lampedusa, where a police patrol aircraft identified an overturned boat with bodies floating around it. Survivors reported that the group had departed from near Tripoli, Libya, in two boats early that morning; one boat took on water, forcing passengers to transfer to the second vessel, which later capsized in rough seas.
Initial estimates from the UN Refugee Agency indicate that between 92 and 97 people were on this journey, with 60 safely brought ashore while search operations continue for those missing. This route, which brings migrants from North Africa to Europe, remains one of the deadliest migration corridors in the world according to the United Nations.
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