Written by Lisa Murimi
At least 26 migrants have died and a dozen remain missing after an overloaded fiberglass boat capsized in international waters off the Italian island of Lampedusa, Italian authorities and UN agencies confirmed Wednesday.
The vessel was carrying between 92 and 97 people, mostly from North Africa, when it overturned at dawn.
Survivor accounts revealed that the migrants had initially set off from Libya on two separate boats.
When one began taking on water, all passengers were transferred to the second vessel, which later capsized due to overloading. Sixty survivors were rescued and taken to Lampedusa’s reception center, said UNHCR spokesperson Filippo Ungaro.
Flavio Di Giacomo of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) noted that this tragedy highlights the central Mediterranean route as one of the deadliest in the world. So far this year, at least 675 migrants have died attempting the crossing, not counting this latest incident.
From a diplomatic perspective, the disaster is expected to intensify debate within the European Union over migration burden-sharing and maritime rescue coordination. Italy has repeatedly urged greater EU solidarity, arguing that frontline states face disproportionate pressures.
Bilateral agreements with Libya aimed at reducing departures have faced criticism from rights groups, who warn that returning migrants to unsafe conditions fuels further abuses.
UNHCR and IOM are calling for expanded legal migration channels, increased search-and-rescue capacity, and stronger regional cooperation.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s government expressed condolences while pushing for deeper EU reforms and investment in African source and transit countries to address migration’s root causes.
The Lampedusa shipwreck underscores the ongoing humanitarian, political, and diplomatic challenges at the heart of Europe’s migration crisis.
