At least 27 people, including a newborn baby, have died after a migrant boat carrying nearly 100 people capsized off the Italian island of Lampedusa early Wednesday. Around a dozen people remain missing, and officials fear the toll will rise.
The Italian Red Cross and UN agencies said 60 survivors were rescued and taken to a Lampedusa reception centre, with four rushed to hospital. The disaster was spotted when an Italian law enforcement aircraft saw the overturned vessel and bodies about 14 miles from the island.
The International Organization for Migration said the group left Libya&rsquo;s Tripoli area in two boats. When one began taking on water, passengers were moved to a single overcrowded fibreglass vessel, which later capsized in international waters.
Rescue crews, using five ships, two aircraft and a helicopter, are still searching. The coastguard said the death toll is provisional.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni expressed &ldquo;dismay and compassion&rdquo; and pledged to step up efforts to stop dangerous crossings and dismantle trafficking networks. She said rescue work alone is not enough and called for action on the root causes of migration.
So far this year, at least 675 migrants have died attempting the central Mediterranean crossing, not including this disaster. In the past decade, nearly 24,500 have died or gone missing on the route, which remains one of the world&rsquo;s deadliest migration corridors. Most vessels depart from Libya or Tunisia, often overcrowded and poorly equipped to survive rough seas.
The tragedy comes a day after UK figures showed more than 50,000 migrants have crossed the English Channel from France since Sir Keir Starmer became prime minister.

27 dead in Lampedusa migrant boat tragedy

Newborn among victims as overloaded vessel from Libya capsizes off Italian coast

27 dead in Lampedusa migrant boat tragedy

Newborn among victims as overloaded vessel from Libya capsizes off Italian coast

August 15, 2025 | 01:39 IST