two dead and twenty migrants missing after the sinking of a boat

Published on : 09/04/2023 – 23:54

At least two migrants are dead and around 20 others are missing after their boat sank in the Mediterranean Sea, between Tunisia and Italy, on the night of Saturday April 8 to Sunday April 9, said the German NGO ResQship. .

Twenty-two people were also rescued by the Nadir, the NGO’s ship, and landed on the Italian island of Lampedusa on Sunday afternoon, said Stefen Seyfert, one of ResQship’s managers.

Among them were men, women and children from Côte d’Ivoire, Mali and Cameroon in particular, Ingo Werth, the captain of the Nadir, present on board at the time of the rescue, told AFP. A pregnant woman was rescued while the bodies of two men were recovered, he said.

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In total, around forty migrants were on board this boat which left Sfax, Tunisia, according to Stefen Seyfert.

“We did everything possible to save more people but we did not succeed,” he added, welcoming “good cooperation” with the Italian coast guard.

According to the Italian press agency Ansa, nine women are among the survivors and 18 people disappeared at sea. They would have paid 3,000 Tunisian dinars (about 900 euros) to board the small boat.

Italy, a popular destination for asylum seekers

In recent days, thousands of migrants have landed on the island of Lampedusa, off the eastern coast of Tunisia, aboard their own boats or Italian coast guard boats.

The phenomenon is accelerating. According to the Interior Ministry, more than 14,000 migrants have landed in Italy since the start of the year, compared to just over 5,300 during the same period last year and 4,300 in 2021.

Italy’s geographical location makes it a destination of choice for asylum seekers crossing from North Africa to Europe. Rome has long complained about the number of arrivals on its territory.

With AFP