Calay News
The United Nations agencies in charge of refugees (Acnur), children (Unicef), and migration (IOM) issued a joint statement regretting a “tragic shipwreck” that took place between Thursday, August 3, and Friday, August 4, in the Mediterranean. The incident occurred when a metal boat capsized due to bad weather shortly after leaving the port of Sfax. The agencies noted that this incident highlights the callousness of smugglers, who expose migrants and refugees to high risks of death at sea.
The survivors of this shipwreck, an unaccompanied minor under the age of 13, a woman, and two men, were rescued by a merchant ship and taken to the island of Lampedusa by the Italian coast guard. The migrants, originally from Guinea and the Ivory Coast, had been drifting for several days in inner tubes and arrived in good health.
According to the Italian Red Cross, which runs the migrant reception center on the island, there were a total of 45 people on the boat when it sank. Although a plane from Frontex, the European Union’s border agency, had previously spotted a drifting ship with four people on board in Libyan waters, adverse weather conditions led to the disaster. Only 15 people had life jackets, but sadly, they drowned.
The IOM expressed its alarm at the fragility of the boats used by migrants on this route, especially the metal boats that turn out to be extremely vulnerable in the adverse maritime conditions. Flavio Di Giacomo, IOM spokesman in Italy, stressed that these low-cost boats break down after just 20 to 30 hours of sailing, endangering the lives of those trying to cross.
The tragedy adds to other recent shipwrecks caused by bad weather. In response, the UN agencies reiterated the importance of coordination in search and rescue, urging States to increase their resources and capabilities to effectively address the crisis. With this new tragedy, the central Mediterranean route remains the deadliest in the world for migrants, with a significant increase in death figures compared to the previous year.
