Up to 380 people are estimated to have drowned last week while trying to reach the EU from Tunisia, as Cyclone Harry hit southern Italy and Malta, according to the Italian Coast Guard.
So far, Maltese authorities have confirmed a shipwreck of a vessel that departed from Tunisia on 20 January and sank on the 23rd, with 50 dead and only one survivor, who was rescued 24 hours later by a commercial ship.
Italian authorities are still searching for eight missing vessels, which, despite dangerous weather conditions, departed last week from the port of Sfax in Tunisia with the aim of reaching EU shores.
The Italian government has imposed strict measures on NGOs, resulting in a drastic reduction of rescue ships in the Mediterranean.
Asylum seekers, mainly departing from Tunisia and Libya, continue to cross the central Mediterranean, despite stricter measures and high risks: it remains one of the deadliest migration routes worldwide, with at least 25,600 dead or missing since 2014.
In 2025, 66,296 people reached Italy by sea, a slightly lower number compared to 2024 and about half of 2023, following agreements by Italy’s far-right government with Libya and Tunisia.
At the same time, the presence of NGO rescue ships in the Mediterranean has decreased, due to stricter operating conditions, e.g., fines and the obligation to disembark rescued asylum seekers at distant ports.
Sources: Guardian
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