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At Least 20 Migrants Die After Boat Sinks Off Lampedusa

Search crews are treating survivors at a Lampedusa reception center during ongoing efforts to find more missing migrants.

Overview

  • Officials estimate the vessel departed from Tripoli with 92 to 97 people aboard when it foundered in international waters after a Guardia di Finanza helicopter spotted it in distress.
  • Sixty survivors are receiving medical care and shelter at a reception center in Lampedusa with support from ACNUR teams.
  • The Italian Coast Guard maintains active search-and-rescue operations for an estimated 12 to 17 migrants still unaccounted for.
  • Survivors and Italian media have reported that a second migrant boat may have capsized, but authorities have not confirmed those claims.
  • The tragedy underscores a rise in central Mediterranean crossings in 2025, with ACNUR recording 675 deaths so far and over 30,000 arrivals in Italy during the first half of the year.