Overview

• Survivors say two overcrowded boats left Tripoli, one sank and those on board clambered onto the second before it overturned about 14 nautical miles south of Lampedusa.
• Recovery crews have retrieved at least 20 bodies, including those of a newborn and several minors, while Italian Coast Guard and UNHCR sources cite up to 26 fatalities and around 17 people remain missing.
• Approximately 60 migrants—56 men and four women—were rescued and taken to Lampedusa’s reception center.
• Italian Coast Guard ships, Guardia di Finanza units, Frontex vessels and aircraft continue challenging search operations in rough seas.
• Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi and Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni have condemned smugglers and pledged to intensify measures to prevent departures from Libyan coasts.