Italy recovers 10 bodies as boat with nearly 60 on board capsizes off Malta | Refugees News
At least 990 refugees and migrants have died this year while attempting to traverse the Mediterranean Sea, underscoring the ongoing dangers of this perilous journey.
The Italian coastguard recently recovered 10 bodies after a boat carrying nearly 60 individuals capsized near Malta. A fishing vessel managed to rescue 48 survivors from the Mediterranean on Sunday. The incident occurred approximately 45 nautical miles east-southeast of Malta shortly after the boat had departed from Libya.
In a statement, the Italian coastguard indicated that search operations are ongoing, coordinated with Maltese authorities. “The coastguard dispatched a patrol boat to the area, which has so far recovered 10 bodies,” the statement read.
This incident is part of a troubling trend of maritime disasters in the Mediterranean this year as refugees and migrants continue to risk their lives in their attempts to reach Europe. According to the United Nations’ International Organization for Migration (IOM), the beginning of 2023 has been among the deadliest on record since 2014.
The IOM reports that 990 people have died while crossing the Mediterranean so far this year, compared to at least 2,180 deaths or disappearances recorded in 2022.
These latest fatalities occur against a backdrop of proposed European Union policies aimed at tightening immigration controls. EU politicians and member states recently agreed in principle to a new set of rules allowing governments to deport asylum seekers whose claims have been rejected to third countries. This agreement was discussed earlier this week and follows a proposal put forth by the European Commission last November.
Under the proposed framework, which still requires formal approval, “return hubs” would be established outside the EU, although exact locations have not been disclosed.
In Libya, hundreds of demonstrators protested outside the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) headquarters earlier this week, accusing the agency of facilitating the settlement of undocumented migrants in the country. Protesters held signs reading, “Our love for our country is not racism,” and “Libya is not the world’s garbage bin.”
The UN agency in Libya, UNSMIL, acknowledged the rights of all individuals to express their opinions but cautioned against the spread of misinformation and hate speech related to its operations, emphasizing that such rhetoric could escalate tensions against both national and international officials.
