At least 27 dead, dozens missing after migrant boats capsize off Italy’s Lampedusa

ISTANBUL

At least 27 people, including a 1-year-old girl and three teenagers, died and dozens remain missing after two migrant boats capsized off the Italian island of Lampedusa, authorities said Thursday.

The boats, carrying around 90-100 people in total, overturned about 14 miles off the island in the Italian search and rescue zone, according to survivors, the Italian news agency ANSA reported.

The vessels had departed the previous night from Tripoli, Libya, with migrants from Pakistan, Somalia, and Sudan on board.

The Italian Coast Guard said 60 survivors were rescued and brought ashore to the Imbriacola reception center on Lampedusa. Most were in stable condition, though four were hospitalized for minor fractures.

Survivors recounted that one of the boats began taking on water before capsizing, prompting some passengers to transfer to the second vessel. The overcrowded second boat then also overturned, throwing many into the sea.

Five patrol boats from the Coast Guard, Finance Police, and EU border agency Frontex, as well as a Coast Guard helicopter, airplane, and a Frontex aircraft, took part in the search and rescue operation coordinated by the Maritime Rescue Coordination Center in Palermo.

Bodies were recovered throughout the day, with two found trapped inside one of the sunken vessels.

Meanwhile, Italian Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi expressed through the US social media company X his condolences and stressed the need to prevent such perilous sea crossings “starting in the countries of departure.”

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni voiced “dismay and compassion,” condemning the “inhumane cynicism” of human traffickers and reiterating her government’s commitment to halting irregular departures and strengthening control over migration flows.