A small boat carrying migrants capsized and sank in the Strait of Sicily after leaving Sfax in Tunisia, killing at least 41 people. The shipwreck occurred off the Italian island of Lampedusa.
Four survivors of the shipwreck revealed to rescuers that they were on a boat that had departed from Sfax, Tunisia, and had sunk while traveling to Italy.
Three men and a woman who were the only survivors claimed to have been on a boat with 45 people on board, three of whom were children.
On Wednesday, the four survivors from the Ivory Coast and Guinea arrived in Lampedusa.
Read more: 289 teenagers died crossing Mediterranean Sea in 6 months: UNICEF
The migrants who made it to shore told the Red Cross that they had life jackets on, which had made it easier for them to crawl onto the wreckage of another boat.
The 7m (20ft) long boat left Sfax on Thursday of last week, but it sank shortly afterward after being struck by a large wave, according to the survivors.
Only about 15 people are said to have been wearing life jackets on the capsized boat, according to eyewitnesses.
After being saved by a private vessel, the survivors were transferred to a vessel of the Italian coast guard.
Though it is unclear if this ship is one of the two shipwrecks in the area that the Italian coast guard reported on Sunday, there are two.
On the journey from North Africa to Europe so far this year, more than 1,800 people have perished.
An entry point for migrants
According to Tunisian authorities, the port city of Sfax, which is 130 kilometers (80 miles) away from Lampedusa, is a well-liked entry point for migrants seeking to reach Europe.
Rescue ships are not permitted to dock at Lampedusa or Sicily by Italy’s far-right government. Rescued migrants must be let off the boats at distant ports, which is required by law.
In order to defend its actions, the government has argued that it wants the immigrants to be dispersed across the entire nation rather than concentrated in any one area.
As a result of the policy’s reduction in the amount of time that can be spent patrolling areas where shipwrecks frequently occur, many human rights organizations have, however, criticized it as being cruel.
It is significant to note that the EU and Tunisia agreed to a $118 million deal last month to reduce migration. The funds, according to reports, will be used to boost initiatives to halt migrant smuggling and return.
The International Organization for Migration reports that since the year’s beginning, at least 2,387 people have perished or gone missing in the Mediterranean while attempting to reach European shores.
The central Mediterranean, the world’s deadliest migrant crossing, has seen more than 17,000 deaths and disappearances since 2014, according to the UN.
