Capsized migrant boat near Italy leaves 32 rescued, 71 missing

At least 32 migrants have been rescued and two bodies recovered after their boat capsized near the Italian coast over the Easter weekend, rescue organisations reported. Survivors said 71 people are believed to have been lost at sea.

The small vessel, which had set out from Libya carrying around 105 people, encountered trouble in rough seas during its attempt to reach Europe, Caliber.Az reports via foreign media.

The survivors were pulled from the water by two merchant ships and transferred to an Italian Coast Guard patrol boat before being brought to the island of Lampedusa, a common landing point for migrants crossing the central Mediterranean.

Aid groups Mediterranea Saving Humans and Sea-Watch described harrowing scenes captured in a video showing about a dozen people clinging to an overturned orange hull as a merchant vessel approached.

The organizations cited survivors’ accounts to estimate that the majority of passengers — 71 people — did not survive the ordeal.

This year, bad weather has compounded the dangers of the already perilous Mediterranean crossing, reducing departures from North Africa but increasing the risks for those attempting the voyage.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) estimates that at least 683 people have died in the central Mediterranean so far in 2026, marking one of the deadliest periods on the route since 2014.

By Aghakazim Guliyev