The wreckage from a capsized boat washes ashore at a beach near Cutro, southern Italy, Sunday, Feb. 26, 2023. Rescue officials say an undetermined number of migrants have died and dozens have been rescued after their boat broke apart off southern Italy. (Antonino Durso/LaPresse via AP)
Forty-one migrants sailing from Africa have died in a shipwreck off the island of Lampedusa in Italy.
According to BBC, four people who survived the shipwreck told rescuers that they were on a boat carrying over 40 people, including three children.
The survivors said the boat set off on Thursday morning from Tunisia’s Sfax but capsized and sank after a few hours.
A large wave was said to have flipped the vessel, causing everyone on board to be thrown into the sea.
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The survivors, consisting of three men and a woman from Ivory Coast and Guinea, said they were rescued by a cargo ship and then transferred to an Italian coast guard vessel.
It is unclear if this shipwreck is linked to the two shipwrecks that the coast guard had reported on Sunday. Around 30 people were reported to have been missing from them.
The coast guard had also said they had recovered 57 survivors and two bodies, amid reports that at least one of the sunken boats had set off from Sfax on Thursday.
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According to Tunisian authorities, Sfax, a port city about 80 miles (130km) from Lampedusa, is a popular gateway for migrants seeking safety and a better life in Europe.
Italian patrol boats and charity groups have in recent days, rescued another 2,000 people who have arrived on Lampedusa.
Tunisia has experienced a wave of racism against black Africans in recent months. Attempts to leave the country by boat have increased.
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