A tragic shipwreck in the Mediterranean left six people dead and 40 missing, the UN reported on Wednesday. The incident occurred after an inflatable dinghy, carrying 56 migrants, left the Tunisian port of Sfax on Monday. The dinghy began to deflate and take on water after a few hours at sea. Rescue operations are ongoing off the island of Lampedusa.
Italy’s coastguard and police rescued 10 survivors, including six men and four women. The survivors, from the Ivory Coast, Mali, Guinea, and Cameroon, are receiving psychological support. They reported that some of the missing fell overboard in rough seas. The dinghy was found partially deflated near Lampione, a small island close to Lampedusa.
In a separate incident, another group of 40 migrants arrived in Lampedusa after crossing from Sfax in metal boats. The island’s reception center is overwhelmed, with 230 migrants now there after five landings on Tuesday. So far this year, 8,743 migrants have arrived in Italy, slightly more than last year.
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, known for her tough stance on migration, aims to stop migrant arrivals. Her government has pushed for outsourcing migrant processing to Albania, but the plan faces legal challenges. Meanwhile, 140 migrants have died or gone missing during the dangerous Mediterranean crossing this year, according to the International Organization for Migration.