At least 26 dead after migrant boat capsizes off Lampedusa, Italy Around a dozen missing

At least 26 people have died and around a dozen are missing after a boat carrying nearly 100 migrants capsized off the coast of Lampedusa, Italian authorities and UN agencies reported.

Sixty survivors were rescued and taken to a reception centre on the Italian island, according to Filippo Ungaro, spokesperson for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Italy, Caliber.Az reports, citing American media.

Survivor accounts indicate there were up to 97 people on board when the vessel departed from Libya.

Italian authorities continue searching for additional survivors. A law enforcement aircraft first spotted the capsized boat, with bodies in the water, about 14 miles (23 km) off Lampedusa on Wednesday morning, prompting a large-scale rescue operation. The coastguard said five ships, two aircraft, and one helicopter were involved in the search and rescue efforts.

The confirmed death toll stands at 26, though authorities described the figure as “provisional and being updated.”

This tragedy adds to a deadly year in the central Mediterranean, where at least 675 migrants have already died attempting the perilous crossing from North Africa, according to UNHCR data, not including the latest incident.

By Khagan Isayev