Another migrant boat sinks, 20 missing, seven rescued

ROME: Seven migrants were rescued, but at least 20 are missing after their boat sank en route to Italy from Libya, the mayor of the Italian island of Lampedusa said on Wednesday.

Amongst those saved was an 8-year-old Syrian boy, hoping to join his father who lives in Germany. He was accompanied by his mother on the perilous trip, but she has not been seen since the boat sank on Tuesday.

Survivors, who were brought to Lampedusa, said the missing included five women and three children.

“They didn’t make it to shore. Knowing that these poor souls were so close, but couldn’t make it is even more heartbreaking,” said mayor Filippo Mannino.

The small boat set sail from the Libyan town of Zuwara late on Monday but got into difficulty in the early hours of Tuesday and flipped over. No bodies have yet been retrieved.

The sea migration route between Africa and Europe is one of the most dangerous in the world, with almost 24,500 disappearing or dying in the central Mediterranean since 2014, according to the International Organization for Migration.

Most of those deaths occurred on boats that set sail from Libya and Tunisia.

The Italian government has sought to reduce migrant departures, saying this will save lives at sea. In 2024, it recorded some 66,320 migrant landings, compared to 157,651 in 2023 and 105,131 in 2022.

Meanwhile, Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) said Wednesday that four more bodies of Pakistani nationals have been recovered from the recent boat accident in Greece, raising the total number of Pakistani fatalities to nine.

Three of the deceased have been identified as Shabbir, Zain Ali, and Zeeshan from Narowal, while the fourth, Owais Ali, was from Sialkot.

The bodies were found near the Greek island of Gavdos and have been transferred to a hospital in Athens. The Pakistani Embassy is arranging to repatriate the remains to Pakistan.

FIA officials estimate it may take another week to bring the bodies back to the country.

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In mid-December, a boat carrying over 84 migrants, including Pakistanis, Egyptians, and Sudanese nationals, more than twice its capacity, capsized in open waters near Greece.

The tragedy resulted in five confirmed deaths, while 47 individuals were rescued. However, the fate of around 40 Pakistanis remains uncertain.

Meanwhile, the repatriation of five Pakistani victims from the tragic boat accident has started.

The bodies are being brought back to Pakistan in stages.

The transportation process involves moving the remains from Athens Airport in Greece to Doha, Qatar, before they are flown to Pakistan. Upon arrival, the bodies are handed over to their families for burial in their respective hometowns.