The mayor of Lampedusa, an Italian island, said that seven migrants had been rescued but that at least twenty were still missing. Their boat was en route from Libya to Italy when it sank.

One of those who survived was an eight-year-old Syrian child, who hoped to join his German-based father. His mother was with him on the dangerous trip but hasn't been seen since Tuesday when the boat sank.

Five women and three kids were among the survivors who brought to Lampedusa.

"They didn't get to the shore." Filippo Mannino, the mayor of Milan said that it was even more tragic to know that these unfortunate souls had been so close but could not make it.

The small boat left the Libyan town Zuwara on Monday night, but ran into trouble in the early morning hours of Tuesday. It flipped. The bodies of the victims have not yet been recovered.

According to the International Organization for Migration, the sea migration route between Africa & Europe is one the most dangerous routes in the world. Since 2014, almost 24,500 people have died or disappeared in the central Mediterranean.

The majority of these deaths happened on boats leaving from Libya and Tunisia.

It is the Italian government's goal to reduce migrant departures. They claim that this will save many lives on the sea. In 2024 it recorded 66,320 landings of migrants, compared with 157,651 landings in 2023 and 105,131 landings in 2022. (Reporting and editing by Christina Fincher.)

(source: Reuters)