Major accident in the Mediterranean Sea near Italy, 11 migrants died due to sinking of two boats; more than 60 missing
Italy Boat Accident: 11 migrants have lost their lives in two boat accidents in the Mediterranean Sea near Italy. At the same time, 66 people are missing. These include 26 children. An entire family from Afghanistan is also feared dead in this accident. One boat had left from Libya and the other from Turkey. 10 bodies have been found trapped in the deck of the boat.
Laddu Yadav
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The sinking of two boats off Italy's southern coast has claimed 11 lives and left more than 60 people missing. These include 26 children. They were all migrants. This information was provided by aid groups, coast guard officers, and UN agencies. One boat left from Libya, the other from Turkey. There were passengers from Bangladesh, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Egypt, and Syria on board.
The German assistance agency RESQSHIP, which operates the Nadir rescue boat, reports that 51 people have been rescued from the sinking wooden boat. Two of them were completely unconscious. Ten victims were discovered trapped in the boat's bottom deck. According to the humanitarian organisation, the survivors were handed over to the Italian Coast Guard.
The second boat accident happened about 200 kilometers east of the Italian region of Calabria. This boat had left from Turkey. But it overturned in the sea after a fire broke out. 66 people are missing in this accident. The body of a woman has been found. At the same time, 11 people were rescued by the Italian Coast Guard.
Shakila Mohammadi, an employee of the Doctors Without Borders charity, said that the survivors of the accident said that 66 people were missing. At least 26 of them are children. Some children are just a few months old. An entire family from Afghanistan is feared dead in this accident. This family had left Turkey eight days ago. They did not even have life jackets.
United Nations agencies said that the migrants trapped in the wreck of the second ship came from Iran, Syria, and Iraq. This waterway of the Mediterranean Sea has become the most dangerous migrant route in the world.
According to UN data, more than 23,500 migrants have lost their lives in this water area since 2014. Earlier this month, 11 bodies were found on the Libyan coast. Last year, a migrant boat sailing from Turkey collided with rocks near the city of Cutro in Calabria. 94 people were killed in this accident.
