A boat carrying around 105 people capsized in the central Mediterranean Sea after departing from Libya on Saturday. Two bodies were recovered and at least 70 are missing, according to NGOs Mediterranea Saving Humans and Sea-Watch.
More than 70 people are feared dead after a boat carrying migrants capsized in the central Mediterranean sea, according to NGOs Sea Watch and Mediterranea Saving Humans on social media.
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32 people were rescued from the boat, which left Libya on Saturday afternoon and was carrying 105 people. Two bodies were recovered and the rest are missing. The NGO Mediterranea Saving Humans wrote on social media site X that the accident happened in a search-and-rescue zone handled by Libyan authorities.
The survivors were rescued by two commercial ships who took them to the Italian island of Lampedusa. Under international maritime law, ships must provide assistance to anyone found at sea in danger of being lost.
An aerial video posted by Sea-Watch showed two men hanging on to the hull of the capsized boat and the approach of one of the commercial ships.
Mediterranea Saving Humans described the accident as "the consequence of policies by European governments that refuse to open safe and legal pathways" for migrants.
The central Mediterranean island of Lampedusa - north of Libya and south of mainland Italy - is known as a key arrival point for migrants embarking on the journey from North Africa to Europe.
At least 683 migrants have lost their lives or gone missing since the start of 2026, according to the UN's migration agency IOM.
According to the Italian government, 6,175 have arrived on Italian soil during the same period.