According to Italy’s coast guard, 30 individuals are still unaccounted for and 17 were saved on Sunday in the central Mediterranean after the boat they were travelling in to escape Libya collapsed due to heavy weather.
The EU’s Frontex border agency provided aircraft help for the ongoing rescue efforts, and two more commercial ships were headed to the region, according to a statement from the coast guard.
The Mediterranea Saving Humanity organisation had earlier tweeted that various reports said the ship, which was heading for Italy, had capsized around 177 kilometres north-west of Benghazi.
Another nonprofit organisation that responds to distress calls from migrant boats, Alarm Phone, announced on Twitter that it had initially notified authorities of the boat’s situation on Saturday. The charity stressed that the 47-person boat needed to be rescued immediately.
The coast guard added in the statement that Libyan authorities requested assistance from Rome since they lacked the resources to carry out the rescue after an initial effort at rescue by a commercial ship was unsuccessful due to adverse weather.
Rome then appealed to nearby commercial ships to help with the rescue operation. The migrant boat capsized, however, while crew members attempted to board the “FROLAND” commercial ship, it was reported.
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Before the commercial ship could continue its voyage to Italy, the coast guard stated that two of the rescued persons required medical attention and would be unloaded in Malta.
An increase of arrivals
The capsize occurred beyond Italy’s Search and Rescue region, according to Sunday’s coast guard report (SAR).
After a tragedy on February 26 near the southern Italian region of Calabria, in which at least 79 people perished, Rome’s capacity to save migrants at sea has come under question.
The coastguard said on Saturday that more than 1,300 migrants had been saved in three different operations off the southernmost tip of Italy, and another 200 had been saved off Sicily.
The strain on Italy’s conservative administration has increased as a result of the rising number of migrant arrivals. After taking power in October with the promise to reduce the flow, the conservative government has seen a substantial surge in such landings this year from both North Africa and Turkey.
As of March 10, over 17,600 persons have visited Italy this year, compared to 6,000 at the same period in 2022. Moreover, hundreds of people have perished trying to cross the Mediterranean to get to Europe.
Reuters
