- 51 migrants rescued near Lempedusa island in the Mediterranean Sea.
- Most of the shipwreck victims come from Pakistan, Bangladesh, Syria and Egypt.
- Three people found dead near another migrant shipwreck off Italy.
Boat sinking incidents continue to claim lives and at least 11 people, including Pakistani migrants, were reportedly killed when a boat sank near the coast of Italy.
According to the German sea rescue charity RESQSHIP, 51 people were rescued from a wooden boat on Monday about 90 kilometers south of the island of Lempedusa in the Mediterranean Sea.
10 bodies were found trapped on the lower deck of the ship.
The captain of the rescue ship “Nadir”, Ingo Werth, said that “the (migrant) boat was almost capsizing, making it a possible grave for the rescuers.”
Passengers on board told aid workers that they set sail from the Libyan port of Zuwarah two days ago and that most of the migrants were from Pakistan, Bangladesh, Syria and Egypt.
Three people found dead near migrant shipwreck
Another migrant shipwreck between Italy and Greece was reported on Tuesday, with 64 people said to be missing and three bodies recovered off the Italian coast.
So far, 11 people have been rescued from the second boat.
According to the Italian coast guard, two patrol boats, a boat and a plane were deployed to search for the missing passengers, including 26 missing children.
No further information has been released about the three recovered bodies.
According to a joint statement from the United Nations refugee agency UNHCR, the International Organization for Migration and the United Nations children's agency UNICEF, the migrants set sail from Turkey, spent eight days at sea and came from Iran. , Syria and Iraq.
The charity Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said some migrants also came from Afghanistan.
The two shipwrecks have confirmed the reputation of the central Mediterranean as one of the most dangerous migratory routes in the world. According to UN data, more than 23,500 migrants have died or disappeared in its waters since 2014.
