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At Least 70 Missing After Migrant Boat Capsizes in Central Mediterranean

Merchant ship rescues in a Libyan-controlled zone highlight the deadly risks of the Libya to Italy route.

Overview

  • The wooden vessel that flipped over during the Easter weekend has left more than 70 people unaccounted for, with two bodies recovered and 32 survivors.
  • Survivors and rescue groups said the boat left Tajura near Tripoli with roughly 105 to 120 people on board, many from Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Egypt.
  • Two merchant ships pulled people from the water and recovered two bodies, then transferred the 32 survivors to an Italian Coast Guard patrol boat bound for Lampedusa.
  • The survivors are now in a reception center on the island, with one outlet reporting 31 men and one unaccompanied minor among those brought ashore.
  • Sea-Watch shared video of men clinging to the overturned hull, and NGOs blamed EU policies for a lack of safe legal routes, while UN figures now put Mediterranean deaths this year above 900 and the IOM counts 683 on the central route.