20 migrants missing after their boat capsized in the Mediterranean

440 migrants rescued from overcrowded boat off Malta on 4 April, 2023 [@MSF_Sea/Twitter]

At least 20 irregular migrants are missing and one is dead after their boat sank in the Mediterranean, Anadolu news agency reported.

The seven-metre-long boat capsized in the Italian rescue area, the Italian news agency ANSA reported yesterday.

The agency said a fishing boat rescued 34 migrants, including eight women and six children, while 20 others were still missing.

An Italian Coast Guard patrol transported the migrants, who are believed to have left Tunisia on Saturday, to the Italian island of Lampedusa while other patrols are still searching for the missing persons.

According to the agency, 819 irregular migrants arrived in Lampedusa on 21 boats over the past 24 hours.

Data from the Italian Ministry of the Interior showed that more than 36,600 migrants have arrived in the country by sea since 1 January 2023, compared to about 9,000 who arrived in 2022.

READ: IOM helps over 3,200 African migrants return home from Yemen

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