At least 20 migrants are believed to be missing in the Mediterranean after their vessel sank off the Italian island of Lampedusa, Italy's coastguard and a senior UN refugee agency official said Wednesday.
“Twenty people are reported missing in the Mediterranean after a shipwreck on September 1,” Chiara Cardoletti, the UNHCR official for Italy, posted on X.
“The seven survivors, taken in by our team on Lampedusa, are in a critical condition,” she said, adding that several of them had lost loved ones in the disaster.
Italy's coastguard said 21 people were still missing after rescuing the survivors on Wednesday morning.
It said the vessel, found 20km off Lampedusa, “was drifting half-submerged in the water and on the point of sinking, with seven migrants on board, all of them men of Syrian nationality”.
Coastguard footage showed the men in a small vessel filled with water, transferring to the rescue boats on inflatable slides.
“The rescued migrants said that they had left Libya on September 1 with 28 people on board, three of them minors, of whom 21 had fallen in the water because of the bad weather conditions,” said the coastguard.
It was continuing to search for those missing, with an aircraft helping with the operation.
News of the latest sinking came the same day the Italian authorities decided to immobilise a rescue ship run by the Sea Watch group, saying it had not waited for the Libyan authorities to approve a rescue operation.
Sea-Watch 5 arrived in the Italian port of Civitavecchia on Wednesday carrying 289 people it had rescued. It will now have to wait 20 days before being able to leave port again.
Last year's migrant boat tragedy in Italy – in pictures
Many non-governmental organisation ships have been detained, sometimes repeatedly, for breaking the law, though those detentions are sometimes overturned by the courts.
In 2023, more than 3,000 migrants were reported missing after having attempted the perilous Mediterranean crossing from North Africa, according to the UN's International Organisation for Migration.
Italian Interior Ministry figures suggest those numbers have fallen sharply since the beginning of the year.
According to them, 43,061 migrants had arrived in Italy since the start of the year, compared to 115,177 over the same period last year.
Since Giorgia Meloni's right-wing coalition government came to power in October 2022, it has sought to stem the arrival of migrant boats to Italy from North Africa.
Italian law requires that NGOs head “without delay” to a port immediately after a rescue is completed – preventing them from carrying out several in a row.
The NGOs argue that it violates maritime law, which requires any ship to come to the aid of a boat in distress.
But failing to comply risks a fine of up to €10,000 euros ($10,700), and potentially the seizure of the vessel.
Profile
Company name: Marefa Digital
Based: Dubai Multi Commodities Centre
Number of employees: seven
Sector: e-learning
Funding stage: Pre-seed funding of Dh1.5m in 2017 and an initial seed round of Dh2m in 2019
Investors: Friends and family
Pakistan T20 series squad
Sarfraz Ahmed (captain), Fakhar Zaman, Ahmed Shahzad, Babar Azam, Shoaib Malik, Mohammed Hafeez, Imad Wasim, Shadab Khan, Mohammed Nawaz, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Ali, Amir Yamin, Mohammed Amir (subject to fitness clearance), Rumman Raees, Usman Shinwari, Umar Amin
The Settlers
Director: Louis Theroux
Starring: Daniella Weiss, Ari Abramowitz
Rating: 5/5
Roll of honour
Who has won what so far in the West Asia Premiership season?
Western Clubs Champions League - Winners: Abu Dhabi Harlequins; Runners up: Bahrain
Dubai Rugby Sevens - Winners: Dubai Exiles; Runners up: Jebel Ali Dragons
West Asia Premiership - Winners: Jebel Ali Dragons; Runners up: Abu Dhabi Harlequins
UAE Premiership Cup - Winners: Abu Dhabi Harlequins; Runners up: Dubai Exiles
West Asia Cup - Winners: Bahrain; Runners up: Dubai Exiles
West Asia Trophy - Winners: Dubai Hurricanes; Runners up: DSC Eagles
Final West Asia Premiership standings - 1. Jebel Ali Dragons; 2. Abu Dhabi Harlequins; 3. Bahrain; 4. Dubai Exiles; 5. Dubai Hurricanes; 6. DSC Eagles; 7. Abu Dhabi Saracens
Fixture (UAE Premiership final) - Friday, April 13, Al Ain – Dubai Exiles v Abu Dhabi Harlequins
The specs
Engine: 77.4kW all-wheel-drive dual motor
Power: 320bhp
Torque: 605Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh219,000
On sale: Now
Banned items
Dubai Police has also issued a list of banned items at the ground on Sunday. These include:
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Political flags or banners
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Bikes, skateboards or scooters
Infiniti QX80 specs
Engine: twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6
Power: 450hp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: From Dh450,000, Autograph model from Dh510,000
Available: Now
Tips to avoid getting scammed
1) Beware of cheques presented late on Thursday
2) Visit an RTA centre to change registration only after receiving payment
3) Be aware of people asking to test drive the car alone
4) Try not to close the sale at night
5) Don't be rushed into a sale
6) Call 901 if you see any suspicious behaviour
Ant-Man and the Wasp
Director: Peyton Reed
Starring: Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Michael Douglas
Three stars
'Brazen'
Director: Monika Mitchell
Starring: Alyssa Milano, Sam Page, Colleen Wheeler
Rating: 3/5
Company profile
Date started: January, 2014
Founders: Mike Dawson, Varuna Singh, and Benita Rowe
Based: Dubai
Sector: Education technology
Size: Five employees
Investment: $100,000 from the ExpoLive Innovation Grant programme in 2018 and an initial $30,000 pre-seed investment from the Turn8 Accelerator in 2014. Most of the projects are government funded.
Partners/incubators: Turn8 Accelerator; In5 Innovation Centre; Expo Live Innovation Impact Grant Programme; Dubai Future Accelerators; FHI 360; VSO and Consult and Coach for a Cause (C3)
'Laal Kaptaan'
Director: Navdeep Singh
Stars: Saif Ali Khan, Manav Vij, Deepak Dobriyal, Zoya Hussain
Rating: 2/5
