618 dead and 918 missing in central Mediterranean in 2024 – IOM
3862 Mins Read
Some 618 people have died and 918 gone missing in the central Mediterranean so far this year, one of the most widely used channels for illegal migration to Italy and Europe, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said this week. The numbers refer to the central Mediterranean route from the beginning of the year to 7 December, the IOM office in Libya said in its latest update published on X. In the same period, the UN agency specifies, migrants intercepted at sea and returned to Libya were 20,894, of whom 18,180 were men, 1,500 women, 688 minors and 526 people for whom gender data is not available.
Young girl saved off Lampedusa is sole survivor of shipwreck
This week, a young girl, aged around 11, who was rescued off Lampedusa by the Trotamar migrant-rescue sailboat and taken to the Sicilian island early on Wednesday, is believed to be the only survivor of a migrant shipwreck. The boat on which she was travelling carried 45 passengers who had departed from Sfax, Tunisia, rescuers said. The young girl, who is believed to hail from Sierra Leone, said the vessel sank in a storm. She was rescued at sea by the sailboat operated by six crew members for the NGO Compass Collective, who were in the area for another operation, at 3:20 am on Wednesday. Rescuers said the young girl was wearing a life vest and was holding on to a life buoy. She reached Lampedusa at 6 am. Overall, 356 migrants landed on the Sicilian island overnight before the arrival of the young girl rescued by the Trotamar III.
