At least 20 migrants have died and many more remain missing after a boat capsised in the Mediterranean on Wednesday, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has confirmed.
UNHCR spokesman Filippo Ungaro expressed “deep anguish” over what he described as yet another shipwreck off the coast of Lampedusa, where the agency is assisting survivors. Reports suggest around 20 bodies have been recovered, with a similar number still unaccounted for.
According to Italian news agency Radio Radicale, the vessel was carrying 97 people when it sank 14 miles southwest of Lampedusa. Save the Children Italy said a one-and-a-half-year-old girl is believed to be among the victims.
RaiRadio1 reported between 12 and 17 people missing, while 60 survivors have been brought safely to the island. The overturned boat was spotted from the air by Italy’s financial police.
Migrants travelling from North Africa to Italy often undertake the dangerous central Mediterranean route in overcrowded and unseaworthy boats. UNHCR data shows 675 people have died on this route so far this year, while Italy’s interior ministry reports 38,263 migrant arrivals since January.