About 41 migrants died after a ship carrying them sank last week off the Italian island of Lampedusa, the Italian news agency reported, citing testimonies of survivors.

 

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Edited by| Christian Megan

 

 Humanity  section -  CJ journalist

 

Lampedusa- August,9,2023

 

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Since the beginning of this year and until July 20, 901 bodies of migrants who drowned off the Tunisian coast, most of them citizens of sub-Saharan countries, have been found. During the same period, 34,290 migrants were rescued and intercepted, while about 90 thousand migrants arrived in Italy, whose nearest coast is 150 kilometers from Tunisia.

"ANSA" said that four survivors of the accident told rescuers that they were on a boat carrying 45 people, including three children. Survivors reported that the boat set off on Thursday morning from the city of Sfax in Tunisia, capsized and sank a few hours later.

The survivors, three men and a woman from Ivory Coast and Guinea, said they were rescued by a cargo ship and later transferred to an Italian coast guard boat. The Coast Guard has not yet responded to a request for comment.

It is unclear if the News reported by "ANSA" is related to two ships that the coast guard announced sank on Sunday, saying that about 30 people are still missing.

The coast guard also said it had recovered 57 survivors and two bodies, amid media reports that at least one of the two sunken ships sailed from Sfax on Thursday.

Meanwhile, Tunisian authorities said on Monday they had recovered 11 bodies after a ship sank near Sfax on Sunday, while 44 migrants were still missing.

Italy has received about 93,700 migrants by sea since the beginning of the year, according to interior ministry data updated on Monday, compared with 44,700 during the same period in 2022.

 

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