21 People Including 'Three Children' Missing After Capsizing of Migrant Boat in Southern Italy

According to Italian media and UN officials, following the capsizing of a migrant boat in waters near the island of Lampedusa in southern Italy, 21 people are missing and seven passengers have been rescued. The Italian Coast Guard reported that this incident occurred on the morning of Wednesday, September 4, and the capsized boat had set off a few days earlier from the shores of Libya towards Italy. According to survivors, most of whom are Syrian citizens, the number of passengers on the boat was 28. They told rescue units that three of the missing individuals were children. The UNICEF coordinator in Italy condemned yet another heartbreaking incident in the waters near Lampedusa on the social media platform X, formerly Twitter, adding, "Most survivors say they lost family members in this incident. Our rescue and aid group is active at the scene." The maritime route between North Africa and the southern coasts of Italy, known as the central Mediterranean route, has become the deadliest migration route in the world in recent years. According to statistics from the International Organization for Migration, over 2,500 migrants were recorded dead or missing on this route last year, and since the beginning of 2024, at least 1,047 people have lost their lives or gone missing while crossing this route. In late June, the sinking of two boats carrying refugees near the southern coasts of Italy resulted in the deaths of dozens, including at least 20 Kurds from Iran. The latest statistics from the Italian Ministry of the Interior indicate that since the beginning of 2024, about 43,000 migrants have reached Italy via this route, significantly fewer than the number of migrants during the same period last year.