A tragedy has unfolded in the Mediterranean Sea, with the German maritime rescue organisation RESQSHIP reporting the deaths of three migrants, including two young children aged just three and four, who died of thirst crossing from Libya to Italy on a frail boat. The migrants had set sail from the port of Zawiya, west of the country.
RESQSHIP stated that a further 59 migrants were rescued from a frail boat south of the Italian island of Lampedusa. They were located by a surveillance aircraft belonging to Frontex, the European border agency.
The organisation detailed that the boat’s engine failed after only a single day at sea, leaving the migrants adrift in open water without any access to drinking water or shelter.
A paramedic reported that the two children had already died the day before the rescue operation, indicating severe dehydration as the cause of their deaths. Tragically, a man was also lost at sea, and another migrant died despite desperate attempts to resuscitate him. The Italian coastguard transferred two other children and four adults in critical condition to Lampedusa for urgent medical treatment.
The organization further noted the additional suffering of several survivors, from burns of a toxic mixture of fuel and salt water that had accumulated on board the vessel. Lampedusa remains a primary landing point for migrants attempting to reach Europe from North Africa, via what is widely recognised as one of the deadliest migration routes globally.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) reports that nearly 25,000 migrants have perished or gone missing on this route since 2014. This year alone has already seen at least 378 deaths, starkly underscoring the ongoing humanitarian catastrophe unfolding in the region.