Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on August 13, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 22, 2026
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A tragic shipwreck off Lampedusa claimed 26 lives. The Italian coastguard conducted a rescue operation, highlighting ongoing migrant risks in the Mediterranean.
ROME (Reuters) -At least 26 people died in a migrant shipwreck off the southern Italian island of Lampedusa on Wednesday and 60 were brought ashore, the coastguard said, adding that the death toll was still provisional amid ongoing search operations.
The disaster, in this case involving people travelling from Libya, is the latest to befall migrants making the perilous Mediterranean crossing from Africa to Europe.
An Italian law enforcement aircraft spotted a capsized boat with bodies in the water about 14 miles (23 km) off Lampedusa on Wednesday morning, triggering a rescue operation, the coastguard said in a statement.
Based on initial accounts from the rescued migrants, they departed from the Tripoli area in Libya in the early morning aboard two boats. One of the boats began taking on water and they transferred to the other vessel, which later capsized in choppy water, a source close to the matter said.
The coastguard said five ships, two aircraft and one helicopter were operating at the rescue site. Initial tallies from the U.N. refugee agency UNHCR indicated that the group of migrants comprised some 92 to 97 people.
Since the beginning of this year, 675 people have died in the central Mediterranean while trying to make the crossing, said Filippo Ungaro, a UNHCR spokesperson in Italy.
Cristina Palma, who works for the Italian Red Cross in Lampedusa, said in a video statement that the survivors - 56 men and four women - were in "decent" health but four of them had been hospitalised for checks.
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's right-wing government has vowed to block the migrant sea journeys from Africa and has passed measures against the human smugglers, including tougher jail terms, urging allies to do more to clamp down on the phenomenon.
Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi said on X that Wednesday's tragedy confirmed the need to prevent the illegal departures and to keep combatting migrant smugglers.
(Reporting by Angelo AmanteEditing by Alex Richardson, Frances Kerry and Gareth Jones)
A migrant shipwreck refers to an incident where a boat carrying migrants capsizes or sinks, often resulting in loss of life and injuries. Such incidents frequently occur during perilous sea crossings.
A rescue operation is a coordinated effort to save individuals in distress, often involving emergency services, coastguards, and other agencies working together to provide assistance.
The coastguard is a maritime security organization responsible for ensuring safety at sea, conducting search and rescue operations, and enforcing maritime laws.
The UNHCR, or United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, is an agency dedicated to protecting the rights and well-being of refugees and displaced persons worldwide.
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