The Italian coast guard said Sunday that it recovered the bodies of 10 migrants after their boat had capsized near Malta. Another 48 people were saved by a fishing boat. However, authorities continue to search for more victims in Mediterranean waters.
The Italian coast guard said that the Maltese government had actively requested Italy's help in the search and rescue operation "following the capsizing of a vessel reported with migrants aboard and people in the water."
Officials said they had ascertained that the migrant vessel had departed from Libya with around 60 people on board, adding that they were still searching the area where the migrant boat suffered shipwreck, located about 84 kilometers southeast of the island nation of Malta.
"According to the latest information, a fishing boat in the area rescued around 48 people alive, out of about 60 reported to have set off," the coastguard explained.
"Search operations in the area are continuing, coordinated by the Maltese authorities."
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Thousands die trying to reach Europe
According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), at least 827 migrants have already died so far this year on the dangerous Mediterranean route from North Africa to Europe. Some NGOs, however, believe the death toll to already have surpassed 1,000.
In 2025, over 1,330 people are believed to have died on that route alone -- in addition to scores of deaths on other maritime migration routes to Europe.
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Despite ongoing maritime patrols on the Mediterranean Sea, thousands of migrants continue to attempt to reach Europe each year.
In order to increase interceptions at sea, the EU continues to fund Libya's coast guard -- to the tune of 700 million euros over the past ten years. Italy's government meanwhile has also signed direct agreements with Libya to further strengthen its coordination efforts in trying to keep migrant departures at bay.
Libya has long become the main country of departure for irregular migrants hoping to cross the Mediterranean from North Africa in search of a better life in Europe.
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with AFP, AP, Reuters