Another tragedy has been recorded in the Mediterranean, where around 80 migrants are missing after a boat capsized in the search and rescue zone near Libya.
According to survivors’ testimonies, there were about 110 people on board. Only 32 of them managed to be rescued. Only two bodies were recovered from the sea.
The survivors were transported to Lampedusa, where they recounted the dramatic moments of the event. “There were 110 of us on board when we set off,” said one of them.
The wooden boat, about 12-15 meters long, had set off from Tripoli and capsized in the open sea, leaving dozens of people in the water for a long time before help arrived.
The rescue operation was carried out by the Italian Coast Guard, assisted by merchant ships in the area, which launched lifeboats and retrieved the survivors.
The alarm about the boat in danger was initially given by a non-governmental organization’s aircraft, which found the overturned vehicle and people clinging to it, while others were in the water.
The survivors and bodies were then transferred to a coast guard vessel and taken ashore.
On board were citizens from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Egypt.