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The bodies of 19 migrants were recovered from a boat off the coast of Lampedusa on Wednesday by the Italian coastguard, the island’s mayor said.
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Mayor Filippo Mannino said seven other migrants, including two children, were being treated for “hypothermia and intoxication from hydrocarbon fumes.”
The rescue operation occurred in the early hours of Wednesday 135 kilometres off the Italian island inside Libya’s search-and-rescue zone, ANSA reported.
“All are believed to have died of hypothermia,” wrote the agency, which cited strong winds, rain and low temperatures in the area.
Lampedusa is a key landing point for migrants crossing the Mediterranean Sea from North Africa, with many dying trying the dangerous journey.
So far this year, 624 migrants have died or gone missing in the central Mediterranean, according to the UN’s International Organisation for Migration.
Lampedusa’s last migrant disaster occurred in August last year, when 27 people died in two shipwrecks off the coast.
According to the interior ministry, 6,117 migrants have landed on Italy’s shores so far this year.
Muğla shipwreck
Meanwhile, a fast-moving boat carrying Afghan migrants capsized in the Aegean Sea on Wednesday while attempting to evade the coastguard in rough waters, leaving 19 dead, including a baby, officials said.
The Turkish Coast Guard Command said the boat carrying dozens of migrants ignored repeated warnings to stop and attempted to flee at high speed.
The boat began to take on water in the choppy sea and eventually capsized. At least 20 other migrants were rescued.
The sinking occurred off the coastal city of Bodrum, a popular Turkish vacation destination.
All of the migrants were from Afghanistan and the victims included a baby, according to Idris Akbıyık, the governor for Muğla province where Bodrum is located, as cited by the state-run Anadolu Agency.
The Greek island of Kos lies some 20 kilometres from Bodrum with other Greek islands including Kalymnos, Leros, and Symi nearby.
Greece is one of the main entry points into the EU for people fleeing conflict and poverty in the Middle East, Africa and Asia, with many making the short but often treacherous journey from the Turkish coast to nearby Greek islands in small boats.
Many are unseaworthy, or set out in bad weather, and fatal accidents are common.
Additional sources • AP, AFP
