At least two people have died and dozens remain missing after a migrant boat capsized in the Mediterranean Sea, advocacy groups reported on Sunday.
Thirty-two survivors were rescued from the vessel, which was believed to be carrying more than 100 people when it overturned. Italian rescue coordinator Mediterranea Saving Humans wrote on X: “Tragic Easter shipwreck. 32 survivors, two bodies recovered and more than 70 people missing.” The group blamed the disaster on “policies by European governments that refuse to open safe and legal pathways” for migrants.
The small boat left Libya on Saturday and capsized in a search-and-rescue zone that is supposed to be handled by Libyan authorities. Footage showed around 15 people clinging to the hull of the overturned vessel in open water.
German NGO Sea-Watch said two passing merchant ships rescued the survivors and transported them to the Italian island of Lampedusa — a key entry point into Europe for migrants crossing the Mediterranean. Sea-Watch said it monitored the incident from the air to help coordinate the rescues and added, “We are horrified.”
According to the UN’s International Organization for Migration, at least 683 migrants have drowned or gone missing attempting Mediterranean crossings so far in 2026.
Edited by: Sean Sinico