26 migrants drown as 2 boats capsize off Italy’s Lampedusa

At least 26 migrants drowned after two boats capsized off Lampedusa Wednesday, according to ANSA.

Some 26 bodies have been recovered and there are 30-40 missing and 6o survivors.

It is one of the worst recent tragedies off the small stepping-stone island between Sicily and Tunisia.

The worst was in 2015 when over 700 people drowned.

The International Organization for Migration said Wednesday some 370 migrants had drowned in the central Med since the start of the year and around 300 had gone missing.

Among the first eight bodies to arrive in Lampedusa, and already taken to the mortuary at the Cala Pisana cemetery, are a newborn baby, two adult men, two women, and three adolescents (two boys and one girl).

In a few minutes, five more bodies will be disembarked at the Favarolo dock.

"Late this morning, we welcomed the 56 survivors who left Libya, and another four were admitted for observation.

They are shaken by the journey and what happened, but are in reasonable health.

Our team has taken charge of them and is caring for them and their needs," said Cristina Palma, deputy director of the Lampedusa hotspot.

"Among the survivors, there are those who have lost loved ones: a sister, a young child, a husband.

These are not tragedies, but deaths foretold," said Marta Bernardini of Mediterranean Hope, who is on the Lampedusa pier with her volunteers.

"People," she continued, "continue to leave, and only the lucky ones arrive. Like today, others lose their lives. These deaths are not the fault of those leaving; they are the political responsibility of European governments who shift the problem elsewhere. The consequence of these policies is a loss of human lives and, with them, the dignity and values of Europe." The migrants were from Pakistan, Sudan and Somalia, officials said.

The island's mortuary has limited space, and doctors at the island's outpatient clinic must proceed quickly with their examinations.

According to reports, the refugees, who departed from Libya, are of Pakistani, Sudanese, and Somali nationality.

Of the 60 survivors, four are suffering from health problems, such as fractures, and are being hospitalized for observation.

Among the bodies is that of a one-year-old girl.

"Anger and frustration. This is what we feel for yet another shipwreck just a few miles from #Lampedusa. Our #Aurora and other NGOs, if directed, could have rescued the people in a matter of minutes. Did anyone know about the presence of that boat?”- German migrant rescue NGO Sea Watch wrote on X.