Italian Coast Guard Capsizes Boat, Rescues 22, Recovers 9 Bodies

An Italian coast guard saved 22 people when a smugglers’ boat overturned near Lampedusa.

A smugglers’ boat capsized in severe seas close to Lampedusa, and the Italian coast guard responded by rescuing twenty-two persons and recovering nine bodies.

Recounting the terrifying voyage from Tunisia, survivors emphasized the dangerous circumstances.

Forty-six individuals from Guinea, Burkina Faso, Mali, and the Ivory Coast were on board the boat as it sailed from Sfax, Tunisia.

According to the U.N. refugee agency, “the group became very agitated when the engine broke down and they were left adrift” after the boat capsized on Wednesday morning in waves as high as five meters (16 feet).

Eight men and a 6-month-old infant were among the dead. Six survivors received treatment for severe hypothermia and dehydration, according to UNHCR, with two of them remaining in the hospital.

The Coast Guard maintains air surveillance to make sure nobody is left in danger despite difficult weather.

But as summer draws near and more people attempt to travel from Africa to Europe across the Mediterranean Sea, worries about the possibility of additional shipwrecks mount, particularly given that more stringent Italian port regulations are limiting charitable rescue efforts.