64 people were missing at sea after a shipwreck off the southern coast of Italy on June 17, while 11 were rescued and brought ashore in the town of Calabria.
Points of attention
- The European agency Frontex and the Italian naval forces joined the search and rescue operations.
- Another tragedy occurred near Italy near the island of Lampedusa, where 10 people died.
- The crew rescued 51 people from a boat that began to sink near Lampedusa.
- After the ship incidents, it is important to raise the issue of the safety of the transport of migrants across the Mediterranean Sea.
A boat caught fire and overturned near Italy
A tragedy occurred near the southern coast of Italy — sixty-four people went missing as a result of a shipwreck. Only eleven people were rescued and brought ashore to the Calabrian town of Roccella Honica.
According to information provided by UN agencies, the boat, which sailed from Turkey eight days earlier, caught fire and capsized.
The search and rescue operation began after a distress signal was received from a French boat. The incident happened in the border zone where Greece and Italy conducted search and rescue operations. The survivors and the missing came from Iran, Syria and Iraq.
The Italian Maritime Rescue and Coordination Center immediately sent two merchant vessels sailing nearby to the scene. The European Border and Coast Guard Agency Frontex forces also joined the operation.
The rescued were taken to the Calabrian port of Roccella Honica, where they were disembarked and placed under the care of medical personnel. Shortly after that, one of the migrants died.
10 people died in a ship accident near the island of Lampedusa
Another shipwreck occurred near the tiny Italian island of Lampedusa.
During the ship incident, the Resqship "Nadir" crew found 61 people on a wooden boat filled with water. The crew managed to evacuate 51 people, two of whom were unconscious. Ten dead were found on the flooded lower deck of the boat.
It was reported by the German rescue group Resqship on the social network X (formerly Twitter).
CN: Tod
— Seebrücke (@_Seebruecke_) June 17, 2024
Die #Nadir von @resqship ist aktuell im Dauereinsatz. Am Wochenende fand sie zwei von @alarm_phone gemeldete Seenotfälle und konnte die Menschen u.a. mit Rettungsmitteln versorgen, bis die italienische Küstenwache übernahm. pic.twitter.com/35z9I1af6o
