UNHCR, IOM, and UNICEF: More people have died in the Mediterranean Sea
More than 800 people have died or disappeared along the central migration route since the beginning of the year – amounting to five every day
UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, IOM, the International Organization for Migration, and UNICEF, the United Nations Children's Fund, express their deepest condolences to the families of dozens of people who have lost their lives in two incidents in the Mediterranean, news of which arrived today with the rescue of the survivors.
Ten people suffocated on the lower deck of a wooden boat travelling from Libya. There were 51 survivors who were rescued and brought to safety in Lampedusa, Italy, by the Nadir ship of the NGO Resqship. Their countries of origin are Bangladesh, Egypt, Pakistan, and Syria.
In a second incident, 11 survivors who had been rescued by a fishing boat and transferred to a merchant vessel were rescued by the Coast Guard in the Ionian Sea and brought to safety in Roccella Jonica, Italy, along with the body of a woman who had died. Another 64 people are reported missing at sea.
According to the survivors' accounts, the boat's engine, which had departed from Türkiye eight days earlier, caught fire, causing the hull to capsize 110 nautical miles from the Italian coast. The survivors and those missing at sea are from Iran, Iraq and Syria. Among the survivors are two accompanied children and two women. If the reports are confirmed, the number of people dead and missing in the Central Mediterranean will rise to more than 800 this year – five per day.
These latest incidents generate a deep sense of frustration due to repeated unheeded calls to strengthen resources and capacity for search and rescue operations at sea to support the Italian Coast Guard. Every incident represents a collective failure and inability of Member States to protect the most vulnerable people. This week marks World Refugee Day, a reminder that more must be done for the 120 million people forced to flee from wars, violence, and persecution.
In addition to the urgent need for European support for search and rescue operations, it is crucial to promote broader access to safe and regular pathways in the European Union for migrants and refugees, so they are not forced to risk their lives at sea.
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