Italian coastguard recovers 19 bodies from boat in sea near Lampedusa

The Guardian • April 1, 2026 • world

Key Points:

The Italian coastguard recovered the bodies of 19 people from an inflatable boat south of Lampedusa and rescued 58 others, including five children, during an early Wednesday operation.
Seven survivors, including two children, are hospitalized for hypothermia and hydrocarbon fumes intoxication, according to Lampedusa’s mayor.
The rescue occurred about 85 miles off Lampedusa, inside Libyan search and rescue waters, after an Italian reconnaissance plane spotted the boat but no Libyan vessels were available to assist.
Rough sea conditions with waves up to seven meters may have contributed to additional deaths during the return journey to Lampedusa.
This tragedy adds to the ongoing migrant crisis in the central Mediterranean, where 624 people have died or gone missing so far this year, and over 6,000 migrants have landed in Italy.

Trending Business