A catastrophic shipwreck off the Italian island of Lampedusa claimed at least 20 lives on Wednesday when a boat carrying 92 to 97 migrants capsized in international waters, according to the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) and local authorities. The vessel, which had departed from Libya, left 60 survivors who were rescued and brought to a reception center in Lampedusa, while 12 to 17 others remain missing. Filippo Ungaro, a UNHCR spokesperson in Italy, expressed “deep anguish” over the tragedy, with rescue operations ongoing to locate survivors. Lampedusa’s Mayor Filippo Mannino noted the incident likely occurred at dawn, though the exact duration of the migrants’ journey remains unclear.

The central Mediterranean crossing, one of the world’s deadliest migration routes, has claimed 675 lives in 2025 alone, not including this latest disaster, per UNHCR data. The agency reported that 30,060 migrants and refugees arrived in Italy by sea in the first half of 2025, a 16% increase from the previous year. The majority of these perilous journeys originate from Tunisia and Libya, often on overcrowded, unseaworthy vessels. The Lampedusa tragedy echoes the devastating 2013 shipwreck, where over 368 migrants perished, prompting global outcry and calls for safer migration pathways.

This latest incident underscores the ongoing humanitarian crisis in the Mediterranean, where nearly 24,500 people have died or disappeared over the past decade, according to the International Organisation for Migration. UNHCR is assisting survivors in Lampedusa, while authorities continue their search for the missing. The tragedy has reignited demands for international action to address the root causes of irregular migration and ensure safer routes for those fleeing conflict, persecution, and poverty.

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