Dozens Dead or Missing in Mediterranean Amidst Treacherous Crossings, UN Reports

The United Nations has reported a tragic surge in fatalities and disappearances among migrants attempting to cross the Mediterranean over the past ten days. Severe weather conditions have contributed to multiple shipwrecks, leaving hundreds unaccounted for or confirmed dead, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

In a statement released on Monday, the IOM warned: “The final toll could be significantly higher, underscoring that this route remains one of the deadliest migration corridors in the world.”

One particularly harrowing incident involved a boat departing from Sfax, Tunisia, which capsized during the journey. Rescue operations conducted around Italy’s Lampedusa Island recovered several survivors, but three people—including one-year-old twins—were found dead. The twins’ mother, a woman of Guinean origin, survived, reporting that her children succumbed to hypothermia. Another adult male also perished under similar conditions.

Survivors reported that another boat had set out alongside theirs from Sfax, but it never arrived, leaving the fate of its passengers unknown.

The IOM noted that the Mediterranean has been particularly turbulent in recent days due to Cyclone Harry, which has hampered search-and-rescue efforts and is believed to have led to several additional vessels disappearing. One further rescue off the coast of Malta involved a commercial ship retrieving survivors from a capsized boat, though approximately 50 passengers remain missing or presumed dead.

In a separate tragedy, a boat sank off the coast of Tobruk, Libya, with fears that 51 more people have perished.

Highlighting the criminal dimension, the IOM condemned the deliberate overloading of vessels unfit for sea travel: “Smugglers forcing migrants into dangerously overcrowded boats is a criminal offence. To do so amid a violent storm makes it all the more reprehensible, as people were knowingly sent into near-certain peril.”

According to IOM statistics, at least 1,340 people lost their lives attempting the central Mediterranean crossing in 2025 alone, illustrating the persistent dangers faced by migrants seeking safer lives in Europe.

Summary of Recent Mediterranean Incidents

The IOM continues to verify survivor accounts and urges greater international attention to the perilous nature of Mediterranean migration routes, especially during storm season.