Forty-one migrants die in shipwreck off Italian island

A group of four people who survived the disaster told rescuers that they were on a boat that had set off from Sfax in Tunisia and sank on its way to Italy, reports BBC.

The four survivors, originally from the Ivory Coast and Guinea,  reached Lampedusa, one of the Pelagie Islands in the Mediterranean Sea.

Meanwhile, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) is calling for safer legal paths to migration following the latest tragic attempt to cross the Mediterranean Sea into Europe.

A pregnant woman and a young child died when two boats carrying scores of migrants sank in rough seas off the Italian island of Lampedusa on Sunday, according to media reports.

The boats had reportedly departed from Sfax, Tunisia, and many of the passengers were believed to be from sub-Saharan African countries.

In a statement on Monday, Nicola Dell’Arciprete, UNICEF Country Coordinator for the National Response in Italy, said the agency was deeply saddened by yet another shipwreck in the Mediterranean.

“This time, a pregnant mother is among those who have lost their lives off the coast of Lampedusa, Italy. An 18-month-old child travelling with their mother has also died. Around 30 people remain missing, including children. Our thoughts go out to all of those affected by this tragedy,” she said.