A boat capsized after a shipwreck in the Strait of Sicily, leading to 41 migrants dying, according to ANSA.
A boat carrying 45 people reportedly departed from Sfax, Tunisia, Aug. 3. Due to an unexpected storm, a strong wave overthrew the ship and killed 41 passengers, including three children, according to ANSA. The four remaining survivors were rescued by a cargo ship called the Rimona, and then transferred to an Italian Coast Guard vessel, The Associated Press (AP) reported. (RELATED: Italy Declares National Emergency As Migrants Pour Off Boats, Flood Shelters)
The Italian Red Cross reported the survivors reached the Italian island of Lampedusa Aug. 9 and are currently at the hotspot of Contrada Imbriacola.
BREAKING: 41 migrants have been killed in a shipwreck off the Italian coasthttps://t.co/HhYfA1RSJV
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Dr. Adrian Chiaramonte reported the survivors had mild injuries and suffered from dehydration, per The AP.
“They said one boat saw them and kept on going. An hour later they saw a copter, then the oil tanker came,” Chiaramonte reportedly explained.
Several humanitarian agencies reportedly raised concerns over the conditions of the boat, considering the “prohibitive weather and sea conditions.”
“This highlights the absolute lack of scruples of traffickers who in this way expose migrants and refugees to extremely high risks of death at sea,” the agencies explained, according to The AP.
The Italian Interior Ministry estimated around 93,000 migrants arrived in Italy in 2023, surpassing the 45,000 who reached the peninsula during the same period in 2022, per The AP. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni reportedly urged the European Union to intervene and help convince Tunisia to suppress illegal trafficking operations.