Searchers seek missing after deadly Italy migrant shipwreck
Three minors, including a newborn baby, and seven women and 13 men were among the dead, according to the prosecutor's office in Agrigento, on Sicily.
Post-mortem examinations confirmed that those 23 died of drowning, according to the ANSA news agency. UN officials said 27 people were confirmed dead so far.
The two boats had left Tripoli, Libya, earlier on Wednesday, Italy's coastguard said.
It is believed one of the boats started taking on water, causing people to climb onto the other boat, which then capsized.
At Lampedusa's cemetery on Thursday evening, where many of the bodies are being kept, some women came and left flowers, and prayed for the dead.
"It seemed fitting, at least to stop by and say a prayer for these people who were seeking a better life," said Donata, a holidaymaker visiting the island who declined to give her family name.
"They did nothing, and they died," she told AFP.
'Waves took them both'
An Italian helicopter had spotted a capsized boat and several bodies in the water on Wednesday about 14 nautical miles off Lampedusa.
One Somali woman lost her son and husband, according to an account reported by the Corriere della Sera newspaper.
"I had my son in my arms and my husband beside me. I don't know how, but we found ourselves in the water. The waves took them both away from me," she said.
Lampedusa, just 90 miles (145 kilometres) off the coast of Tunisia, is often the first point of arrival for people trying to reach Europe in leaky or overcrowded boats.
But it is also a tourist hotspot, famed for its white sand beaches.
On Thursday, it was filled with holidaymakers visiting for Friday's Ferragosto public holiday, with pleasure boats using the same port as the vessels searching for the missing.
Deadly crossing
Two of the survivors were taken by helicopter to Sicily for treatment, while the other 58 were being cared for in the reception centre on the island, according to the Red Cross.
Twenty-one of them are minors and "generally in good health", said Imad Dalil, the Red Cross official who runs the reception centre.
He said the majority of the survivors are Somali, with a few Egyptians.
Around 95 people were on the boats, UN officials reported initially, but ANSA said it appeared there may have been more, perhaps 100 to 110 people.
Filippo Grandi, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, had earlier confirmed the toll of 27 dead.
"Over 700 refugees and migrants have now died in 2025 in the Central Mediterranean", which the UN judges to be the world's deadliest maritime migrant crossing, he wrote on social media.
"All responses -- rescue at sea, safe pathways, helping transit countries and addressing root causes -- must be strengthened," he said.
Despite the tragedy laying bare the risks, the migrant boats kept coming.
Four others were intercepted off Lampedusa overnight, according to the Red Cross, while more migrants arrived during Thursday.
More than 260 people were being held in the reception centre waiting for processing as of Thursday evening, ANSA said.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni offered her "deepest condolences" to the victims and vowed to step up efforts to tackle migrant traffickers.
Her hard-right government took office in 2022 vowing to cut the number of migrants crossing the Mediterranean to Europe.
More than 38,500 people have arrived on Italian shores so far this year, according to interior ministry figures.
This is slightly up on last year but well below the 100,000 reported by the same time in 2023.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
France 24
2 days ago
- France 24
Fleeing the heat, tourists explore Rome at night, underground
At a refreshing 15C, the catacombs were a popular place to hide this week as temperatures in the Eternal City reached almost 40C, while other visitors sought out evening tours and 2:00 am walks. "If we could have postponed our trip, we would have done it, but everything was already booked," said Ansari, 32, visiting Italy with her mother and an aunt. Instead, they adapted. "We booked our earliest tour starting at 7:30 am, and aim to be home before midday," she told AFP, taking refuge on a shaded stone bench near the Appian Way next to her aunt, who appeared overwhelmed by the heat. They do not venture out again before 4:00 pm or 5:00 pm, and, as in many Mediterranean countries, they pushed back their dinner time by three hours to 9:00 pm. In central Rome, Rafael Falcao also headed underground, to the Crypt of the Capuchin Friars on the Via Veneto, which he found relatively cool. He too, had to change his plans as a heatwave punishing southern Europe pushed up Rome's already high August temperatures. "Yesterday, we rented a small car to visit the city because it was too hot to walk," the 42-year-old Brazilian said. Patricia Kolodziej, a 41-year-old Polish woman living in Britain, said she struggled to find things to do with her toddler in the heat. But she managed to get tickets for the last entry to the Colosseum, the ancient Roman amphitheatre that's a must-see for tourists -- but which can be a furnace during the day. "We have chosen more sightseeing in the evening," Kolodziej told AFP. A few steps away, under the shadow of the Colosseum, an Asian tourist who declined to give her name, seemed close to fainting, her forehead sweating. "We came late on purpose, but it's no use," she said. Nobody out Online travel portal predicted last October that "noctourism" -- nighttime tourism -- will be one of the trends of 2025. It blamed rising temperatures due to climate change, as well as overtourism. Several Rome sites offer evening activities, including the Circus Maximus and the Colosseum which opens late at night twice a week. Tickets quickly disappear but Madison Thibert, from the US state of North Dakota, secured one, allowing her to enjoy the sight of the ancient monument bathed in moonlight. Thibert said she and her boyfriend had been exploring the city after hours, when temperatures reduce, and so do the crowds. "We just walked around, we saw the Trevi Fountain, came by the Colosseum. We took some of the scooters around on the roads," Thibert said.
France 24
2 days ago
- France 24
Searchers seek missing after deadly Italy migrant shipwreck
As many as a dozen or more people are still unaccounted for following Wednesday's disaster, according to testimony from among the 60 survivors, mostly from Somalia. Three minors, including a newborn baby, and seven women and 13 men were among the dead, according to the prosecutor's office in Agrigento, on Sicily. Post-mortem examinations confirmed that those 23 died of drowning, according to the ANSA news agency. UN officials said 27 people were confirmed dead so far. The two boats had left Tripoli, Libya, earlier on Wednesday, Italy's coastguard said. It is believed one of the boats started taking on water, causing people to climb onto the other boat, which then capsized. At Lampedusa's cemetery on Thursday evening, where many of the bodies are being kept, some women came and left flowers, and prayed for the dead. "It seemed fitting, at least to stop by and say a prayer for these people who were seeking a better life," said Donata, a holidaymaker visiting the island who declined to give her family name. "They did nothing, and they died," she told AFP. 'Waves took them both' An Italian helicopter had spotted a capsized boat and several bodies in the water on Wednesday about 14 nautical miles off Lampedusa. One Somali woman lost her son and husband, according to an account reported by the Corriere della Sera newspaper. "I had my son in my arms and my husband beside me. I don't know how, but we found ourselves in the water. The waves took them both away from me," she said. Lampedusa, just 90 miles (145 kilometres) off the coast of Tunisia, is often the first point of arrival for people trying to reach Europe in leaky or overcrowded boats. But it is also a tourist hotspot, famed for its white sand beaches. On Thursday, it was filled with holidaymakers visiting for Friday's Ferragosto public holiday, with pleasure boats using the same port as the vessels searching for the missing. Deadly crossing Two of the survivors were taken by helicopter to Sicily for treatment, while the other 58 were being cared for in the reception centre on the island, according to the Red Cross. Twenty-one of them are minors and "generally in good health", said Imad Dalil, the Red Cross official who runs the reception centre. He said the majority of the survivors are Somali, with a few Egyptians. Around 95 people were on the boats, UN officials reported initially, but ANSA said it appeared there may have been more, perhaps 100 to 110 people. Filippo Grandi, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, had earlier confirmed the toll of 27 dead. "Over 700 refugees and migrants have now died in 2025 in the Central Mediterranean", which the UN judges to be the world's deadliest maritime migrant crossing, he wrote on social media. "All responses -- rescue at sea, safe pathways, helping transit countries and addressing root causes -- must be strengthened," he said. Despite the tragedy laying bare the risks, the migrant boats kept coming. Four others were intercepted off Lampedusa overnight, according to the Red Cross, while more migrants arrived during Thursday. More than 260 people were being held in the reception centre waiting for processing as of Thursday evening, ANSA said. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni offered her "deepest condolences" to the victims and vowed to step up efforts to tackle migrant traffickers. Her hard-right government took office in 2022 vowing to cut the number of migrants crossing the Mediterranean to Europe. More than 38,500 people have arrived on Italian shores so far this year, according to interior ministry figures. This is slightly up on last year but well below the 100,000 reported by the same time in 2023.
France 24
3 days ago
- France 24
In heatwave, Romans turn to vintage snow cones to stay cool
Forget ice cream, sorbet or even the beloved Italian gelato – when Romans swelter in a heatwave, they turn to the traditional "grattachecca". It may be difficult for non-Italians to pronounce – think "gratta-kekka" – but the Roman-style shaved ice is colourful, cheap and refreshing like no other. In an turn-of-the-century kiosk near the Tiber River, Massimo Crescenzi, 72, was in constant motion one recent weekday in front of a patiently waiting line of clients, whose numbers rarely flag with 37C temperatures scorching the capital. His wife Rosanna Mariani was behind the scenes at the "Golden Fountain" as the business is named, pulling large blocks of ice out of a freezer, cracking them with a pick into small chunks, and feeding them into a machine. Her husband then poured the crushed ice into a glass, adding fresh fruit and colourful syrups, according to each customer's preferences. He cautioned that the treat loved by generations of Romans was not Sicilian granita – in which water is combined with fruit and sugar from the outset and frozen together. A debate lingers in Rome over the merits of using the more hygienic machine, which is Crescenzi's choice, or the old-fashioned way of shaving the ice by hand. "It's delicious! Especially on such a hot day, it's very refreshing," said Andrea Alvarado, a 55-year-old Californian, who opted for the exotically flavoured tamarind, mint and black cherry grattachecca on offer. While on vacation in Rome, she learned about the four-euro treat on social media: a modern way to discover an old tradition. With increasingly frequent heatwaves in Rome, demand is growing, the owners told AFP, with various kiosks across the city offering the frozen desserts. "The season used to begin in June through September. Now, we're May to October and probably in the next few years it will be even longer," Crescenzi said. Four generations Boasting that theirs is "the oldest kiosk in Rome", Mariani showed off black-and-white photos taken in 1913 of the family business. "It's a kiosk that was opened by my grandfather 112 years ago," said Crescenzi. That means the business has so far lasted four generations, now that his youngest son helps him during the summer rush. Sitting in the shade, US tourist Victoria Kiser was enjoying her treat: "There's a reason it's been in business since 1913," she agreed. Crescenzi knows the history of grattachecca like the back of his hand. Back in the day, "ice came from the Abruzzo mountains and was transported to Rome by carts," he said. Those were the days before factories began to produce ice, making things more efficient. The treat's name probably derives from the story of a nobleman whose servants would prepare food and drink for him, he said. "When he went to ask for a very refreshing drink, one with ice, he had around him various people including the famous Francesca, whose diminutive in Roman dialect is 'checca'." Grattachecca was born. French tourist Fabien Torcol was enjoying a coconut-lemon grattachecca. He said he loved the dessert, but... "It's not easy to pronounce," he laughed.
