A small child has died after dozens of migrants were rescued from a boat near the Italian island of Lampedusa in the Mediterranean Sea. According to reports, the cause of death was severe exposure to cold temperatures.
The infant, who was just a few weeks old, was found unconscious and died while being transported to a medical facility on Lampedusa. Attempts to resuscitate the child were unsuccessful.
The mother of the girl was later identified as an Ivorian national.
The local public prosecutor's office has meanwhile opened an inquest to confirm hypothermia as the cause of death.
The child's mother will reportedly need to be interviewed to reconstruct the details of the ill-fated crossing to help clarify when exactly the child began to fall ill.
According to the Il Fatto Quotidiano newspaper, the mother has been provided with "psychological assistance" upon being discharged from medical care herself.
The Avvenire news platform meanwhile said that it appears that the mother was traveling alone with several of her daughters, including the newborn who died en route to hospital.
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West African migrants show signs of violence
Authorities said that overnight on May 18, Italian maritime officials had rescued about 55 people in total reportedly from countries in West Africa.
According to Italian media reports, the migrants hailed from Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Gambia, Guinea, Mali, Nigeria and Sierra Leone; there were seven women and six minors among them.
The migrants reportedly told authorities that their boat, measuring seven meters in length, had set sail from Sfax, Tunisia, situated about 150 kilometers west from the small Italian island.
Italy's national broadcaster RAI reported that the migrants paid between 400 and 600 euros per person for the perilous journey.
According to media reports, four of the 55 migrants showed signs of having suffered acts of violence on their arms and backs, "probably left behind by the treatment received on the Tunisian coast before leaving for Italy," speculated the newspaper Avvenire.
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Charities condemn unnecessary infant death
The UN children's organization UNICEF has issued a statement on the latest tragedy, expressing "deep sorrow and concern for the many children and adults who should not die in the Mediterranean."
The "Save the Children" charity meanwhile responded to the baby's death, commenting that "(s)he is the latest young life lost in the attempt to find a better future, fleeing war, humanitarian crises, and extreme poverty.
"Once again, men, women and children have faced a desperate journey to Europe, and once again the Mediterranean has become a border of death, aggravated by restrictive policies aimed at defending borders rather than protecting individuals."
The NGO also said that the death of a newborn baby under such circumstances is "not a fatality, it's the failure of policies that continue to put boundaries before life."
In a statement, Giorgia D'Errico, Director of Institutional Relations at Save the Children, said: "The right to live and to seek protection cannot be negotiable. Respect for international law must be full and substantial, putting the best interests of the child first."
The organization added that more than 100 children have died on the Mediterranean migrant route every year for the past three years.
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Politicians respond to latest tragedy
Various political figures have also responded to these development, with Democratic Party (PD) MP Matteo Orfini saying that for Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni "evidently [the death of a one-month-old baby] is not a problem," highlighting that the leader of the country is "a woman, a mother, a Christian."
Luana Zanella, the group leader in the Chamber of Deputies of the Greens and Left Alliance (AVS), said that "no human being should be left to die in the Mediterranean, no girl, no boy should be forced to undertake that journey."
"The image of a mother carrying her lifeless child in her arms is heartbreaking."
Since 2014, about 35,000 people are believed to have died or gone missing in the Mediterranean Sea while attempting to reach Europe, estimates the UN Migration Agency IOM.
Pope to bless migrant pier in Lampedusa
Pope Leo XIV, who has made migration a major concern in his papacy, meanwhile has announced plans to visit the migrant hotspot of Lampedusa later this summer.
The pontiff intends to bless a commemorative plaque at the pier where most migrants are taken to after being rescued by Italian maritime authorities.
The pier is due to be named after Pope Francis I, Leo's late predecessor.
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