A boat carrying 45 people, including three children, capsized in the Mediterranean Sea, leading to 41 deaths.
The vessel, with migrants aboard, began its journey on August 3, from Sfax, Tunisia. It faced rough waters a few hours post-departure, leading to its sinking. Survivors provided accounts of the incident to Italian media outlets.
Four survivors, two men, a woman and an unaccompanied minor, from Ivory Coast and Guinea, were initially rescued by a cargo ship in the Straits of Sicily. They were later transferred to an Italian coast guard vessel near Lampedusa Island.
Italy’s Interior Ministry data indicates that approximately 93,700 migrants have arrived in Italy via sea this year. A significant portion of these migrants are from Guinea and Ivory Coast.
In a separate incident, the Tunisian Coast Guard reported rescuing two individuals and recovering 11 bodies after another boat capsized. This boat had 57 passengers, primarily from sub-Saharan African countries, with 44 still missing.
Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni has expressed a desire for the European Union to collaborate with Tunisia to curb smuggling operations.