On Monday (March 18), a group of 51 migrants from Cameroon, Burkina Faso, Mali, Gambia, Senegal, and the Ivory Coast were rescued off Lampedusa.

The two deceased migrants are from Cameroon. They reportedly died after the boat capsized during rescue operations.

Also read: One victim among migrants rescued on Lampedusa's cliffs

Two died during rescue operations after their boat capsized

Initial reports suggest that the 51 migrants on board moved to one side when they saw the coast guard vessel, causing the boat to capsize.

Coast guard officials rescued 46 men, two women and a minor alive.

Their seven-meter boat had departed from Sfax on Friday night and remained adrift in the Mediterranean for three days. Survivors said they had paid between 300 and 500 euros each for the crossing.

Also read: Kerkennah Islands: A launchpad to Europe

New arrivals from Tunisia and transfers to Lampedusa hotspot

On the same day, a finance police cutter rescued another boat carrying 19 migrants from Tunisia and six from Bangladesh, including four women and two minors, off Lampedusa. This boat had also departed from Sfax. Passengers were helped board the rescue cutter and taken to the Favarolo pier on Lampedusa.

As of the afternoon of March 18, the Imbriacola district's local hotspot was accommodating 282 people, including the recent arrivals.

On March 17, over 400 migrants were transferred to Porto Empedocle, Sicily: 200 in the morning and 225 in the afternoon. The first group was taken by ferry and the second by motorship, while two others were flown by helicopter to a hospital in Palermo: one migrant was hospitalized due to an epileptic crisis while the other due to a neurodegenerative disease.

Also read: Italy reports 50% increase in migrant landings in 2023