A vessel carrying around 60 people from Libya capsized in the central Mediterranean on Sunday. Search operations are still under way as rescuers race to account for all those on board.
The fishing boat capsized approximately 45 nautical miles east-south-east of Malta. The Italian coastguard dispatched a patrol vessel to the scene after Malta requested assistance, and by Sunday had recovered ten bodies. A fishing boat in the area pulled around 48 survivors from the water. Search operations continue under Maltese coordination.
The incident is the latest in a relentless pattern of loss on the central Mediterranean route, the sea crossing between North Africa and the coasts of Italy and Malta. At least 827 people have died attempting the crossing so far this year, according to the UN’s International Organization for Migration. More than 1,330 died on the same route in 2024.
The EU has channelled €700 million to the Libyan government since 2015, much of it directed at border management and the interception of migrant boats before they leave Libyan waters. Italy has long anchored its migration strategy to cooperation with Tripoli, providing training, equipment and support to the Libyan coastguard.
Critics argue that this model has done more to trap people in Libya — where documented abuses against detained migrants are widespread — than to reduce the number of lives lost at sea. Sunday’s capsizing, with bodies still being recovered and survivors unaccounted for, offers little evidence to the contrary.
