Dozens Dead or Missing in Recent Italian Coast Shipwrecks

The recent shipwrecks off the Italian coast have left dozens of migrants dead or missing, prompting rescue operations to search for survivors. One boat carrying 51 survivors and ten bodies was intercepted south of Lampedusa, while another was found east of Calabria with eleven survivors and one body. Aid organizations report that 64 people are still missing, including 26 children, with the Italian coast guard recovering three more bodies on Tuesday.

Captain Ingo Werth of the German aid organization RESQSHIP led the first rescue operation, describing the challenging conditions of wading through bodies to find survivors on the overcrowded boat. Equipped with gas masks, the crew managed to save two men by drilling a hole in the deck above their heads and pulling them to safety. The migrants had started their journey from Libya and Turkey, coming from various countries like Bangladesh, Pakistan, Syria, and Iran.

The survivors from both shipwrecks are traumatized and confused, not knowing the fate of their relatives who may still be at sea. The dangerous conditions of the central Mediterranean route have claimed the lives of over 23,500 migrants since 2014, highlighting the risks of the perilous journey. The aid organization Doctors Without Borders (MSF) notes that many families have been torn apart, with some losing multiple members in the tragic accidents, leaving survivors with uncertain futures.

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