48 Rescued, 10 Bodies Recovered After Migrant Boat Capsizes off Malta

Italian coastguard teams have recovered 10 bodies after a migrant boat carrying about 60 people capsized 45 nautical miles east-south-east of Malta. A fishing boat in the area pulled 48 people from the water alive. The vessel had departed from Libya.

The Italian coastguard sent a patrol boat to the scene after receiving reports of the incident. Malta requested assistance with the search and rescue operation, which remains under Maltese coordination. Search efforts continue in the area.

At least 827 people have died attempting Mediterranean crossings so far this year, according to the UN's International Organisation for Migration. The North Africa to Italy and Malta route killed more than 1,330 migrants last year. IOM data show that at least 34,907 migrants have died or gone missing on Mediterranean routes overall, with 32,153 deaths attributed to drowning.

The route is described by Afshan Khan, Unicef Regional Director and Special Coordinator for the Refugee and Response Crises in Europe, as mostly controlled by smugglers and traffickers. Khan said the route preys upon desperate children and women seeking refuge or a better life. She called for safe and legal pathways and safeguards to protect migrating children.

In September 2014, a ship departing from Damietta, Egypt, sank off Malta and killed around 500 migrants. In 2015, the EU reached an agreement with Libya to reduce departures, and the European bloc has provided Libya with £605 million, most of it directed toward border management. In August last year, at least 27 people died when a boat capsized off Lampedusa.

Among those identified were two Egyptian men aged 21 and 20 and three Somali citizens, including a 17-year-old boy, a 30-year-old woman and a 25-year-old man.