Following a catastrophe off the southern coast of Italy on Monday, 64 people were reported missing at sea; 11 of them were saved and brought ashore to a town in Calabria, according to a statement from United Nations agencies.
In a different catastrophe, rescuers near Italy’s small island of Lampedusa discovered ten remains of possible migrants buried below the deck of a wooden boat. The German assistance organization Resqship posted the news on social media on Monday on X, formerly known as Twitter.
According to survivors cited by UN agencies, the first shipwreck occurred approximately 125 miles off the coast of Calabria. The boat had sunk after it caught fire and capsized eight days earlier, leaving it sailing from Turkey.
The Italian Coast Guard released a statement stating that the search and rescue effort commenced in response to a Mayday call made by a French boat.
The vessel was traveling across a border region where search and rescue missions are conducted by Greece and Italy. According to U.N. authorities, survivors and those who are still missing at sea are from Iran, Syria, and Iraq.
Two neighboring merchant vessels were quickly diverted to the rescue area by the Italian Maritime Rescue Coordination Center. Frontex resources from the European Border and Coast Guard agencies were also beneficial.
The survivors were transported to the port of Roccella Jonica in Calabria, where they disembarked and were given up to medical staff. The Coast Guard claimed that one of the migrants passed away shortly after.
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The crew of Resqship’s vessel, the Nadir, discovered 61 persons on the wooden vessel, which was submerged in water, in the second shipwreck.
“Our crew was able to evacuate 51 people, two of whom were unconscious,” it continued. “The 10 dead were in the flooded lower deck of the boat.”
