Rescue teams found the dinghy filled with migrants in waves of more than 6-7 metres.
An Italian coast guard vessel carrying survivors and bodies from the dinghy docks in Lampedusa (Image: Mediterranea Saving Humans via AP)
Nineteen migrants have been found dead after a small boat got into difficulty in the Mediterranean Sea. It is believed the victims likely died of hypothermia, but the cause of death still needs to be verified.
Officials said the bodies were recovered by the Italian coast guard, which also rescued some 58 people after intercepting the dinghy that was in distress around 80 nautical miles off the island of Lampedusa on Tuesday night. Coastguard spokesperson Roberto D’Arrigo said the rescue was carried out during rough sea conditions. He said: “We were the only ones able to intervene, as there were no other ships or rescue teams in the area.
File image of an Italian coast guard ship (Image: AP Photo/Valeria Ferraro)
“Sea conditions were pretty extreme, with waves of more than 6-7 meters (20-23 feet).”
The migrants had likely departed from Libya, with the rescue mission taking place in the Libyan search and rescue zone, he added.
The coastguard said the survivors were brought to Lampedusa after a 10-hour trip and are in the care of local health services.
Filippo Mannino, the mayor of the small Italian island, said seven people, including two children, were being treated in hospital for “hypothermia and intoxication from hydrocarbon fumes”.
Lampedusa is the main entry point to Europe for migrants crossing the Mediterranean Sea from North Africa, with thousands dying during the perilous journey.
Most of the deaths have been attributed to small boats setting off from the coasts of Tunisia and Libya.
The most recent deadly shipwreck off Lampedusa happened in August last year, when a boat carrying nearly 100 migrants capsized in international waters, killing at least 26 people.
More than 830 migrants have died or gone missing in the Mediterranean so far this year, according to the United Nations’ International Organisation for Migration (IOM).
In February, the agency called for greater efforts to save lives at sea after reporting 2026 had seen the “deadliest start to a year” in the Mediterranean on record.
ISIS calls on Muslims to ‘set fire to churches and synagogues’ around the world at Easter
The terror group issued a horrifying threat on Thursday.
ISIS issued a horror threat on Thursday (Image: Getty)
ISIS has called on Muslims to set fire to churches and synagogues around the world this Easter weekend in a horrific threat. The group’s propaganda reportedly called for attacks in the US, Europe, Russia, UAE, Syria, Tunisia, and Morocco during the Easter holidays in response to the closure of al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem.
In the latest edition of its al-Naba newspaper, the terrorists also reportedly called for attacks during the Jewish holiday of Passover, which began yesterday and ends next Thursday. The shocking warnings come after Israel closed the al-Aqsa Mosque in late February, with authorities extending the closure until mid-April.
ISIS reportedly called for attacks during religious holidays. (Image: Getty)
Today marks 34 days since the Israeli occupation closed the mosque to worshippers over what they described as security concerns amid the war with Iran.
Israel declared a nationwide state of emergency and prohibited mass gatherings, including at holy sites.
The Palestinian Authority condemned the closure of the mosque, which previously remained open since 1967, as extremist settlers called to access the site to hold rituals for Passover, WAFA News Agency reports.
ISIS’ latest call to violence comes as a detention camp for tens of thousands of people linked to the group has been largely emptied due to the shocking number of escapes.
A Syrian government official told Sky News al Hol camp in northeastern Syria is almost empty after the state took control of the site.
Fadi al Qassem, the Syrian foreign ministry’s representative for al Hol camp administration, said: “Families escaped while we were present because the camp is large and the smuggling routes are very varied.”
He said lots of people had already escaped before Syrian forces took charge as guards left and the gates were open. Officials also found evidence of people using forged documents and identification cards of people who’d already left, he added.
Mr al Qassem blamed unreliable population records and established smuggling rings that have made it difficult to keep track of who was already in the site when Syrian forces took it over.
