The Mediterranean Sea has witnessed a new tragedy, as two illegal immigrant ships sank off the southern coast of Italy, resulting in the death of at least 11 people and the loss of more than 60 others, including 26 children.
According to Reuters, the German aid group RESQSHIP reported that a wooden ship sank off the Italian coast, and 51 people were rescued, including two unconscious people, while 10 bodies were found trapped inside the ship.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the International Organization for Migration and the United Nations Children's Agency UNICEF indicated in a joint statement that the ship departed from Libya and carried on board migrants from Syria, Egypt, Pakistan and Bangladesh.
While the first ship sank off the Italian coast of Lampedusa, international agencies announced the sinking of a second ship coming from Turkey, about 200 kilometers east of the Italian region of Calabria.
New agencies reported that 64 people were missing at sea, while 11 people were rescued by the Italian Coast Guard, along with the body of a woman.
UN agencies called on European Union governments to intensify search and rescue efforts in the Mediterranean and expand legal and safe migration channels, so that migrants do not have to “risk their lives at sea.”
