London, United Kingdom – Three young girls- aged 9, 11 and 17- have died and one person remains missing after a small boat carrying migrants and asylum seekers from Libya to Italy flooded in the early hours of Saturday, August 23, according to German sea rescue charity RESQSHIP.
RESQSHIP’s support vessel, the Nadir, rescued 65 people who were taken to the nearby Italian island of Lampedusa. Among the survivors were three pregnant women and a 7-month-old infant, the charity said.
The rubber boat carrying nearly 70 people had issued a distress call late Friday night to Alarm Phone – an independent support network that co-ordinates migrant rescues – as waves up to 1.5 meters pummelled the dinghy.
“The boat was dangerously overcrowded, it was pitch-dark, water was flooding in, people were panicking,” RESQSHIP announced in a press release on August 24.
As evacuations from the boat began, the rescue team reported hearing the screams of survivors who looked on in “sheer horror” at the bodies of three young sisters who lay lifeless beneath the surface of the water. A medical team attempted to resuscitate the girls, but they were pronounced dead at the scene.
The children’s mother, brother and one other family member survived.
These latest deaths come only ten days after a shipwreck off the Italian coastline, which killed 27 people. More than 700 migrants and asylum seekers have died in the Central Mediterranean so far in 2025, according to the UN refugee agency, UNHCR.
The World’s Deadliest Migration Route
Despite being one of the world’s most heavily monitored maritime crossings, the Central Mediterranean route remains the deadliest, claiming over 30,000 lives since 2014, according to the International Organisation for Migration.
Most crossings begin from Libya, which is a key destination and transit country for people fleeing regional instability.
NGO Human Rights Watch has documented numerous crimes against migrants and asylum seekers in Libya, such as arbitrary detention, extortion and torture, prompting many to risk the perilous sea journey to Southern Europe.
Responding to news of a shipwreck near Lampedusa on August 13, 2025, UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi reiterated: “Rescue at sea, safe pathways, helping transit countries and addressing root causes must all be strengthened”.
Human rights groups have criticised the EU over the mounting number of deaths during small-boat crossings, accusing governments of privileging deterrence strategies over rescue procedures.
According to Nadir Crewmember Katja Schnitzer: “These fatalities are no coincidence. They are intentional. A politically calculated failure to act, embedded in a European border regime that prioritises deterrence and exclusion over human life”.
Italy’s Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, has been praised by her European allies and supporters for reducing small-boat arrivals by 60% between 2023 and 2024.
However, aid groups are calling on Italy and the EU to step up search and rescue efforts for irregular migrants, saying better coordination is needed to prevent further loss of life in European waters.
Featured Image Credit
Image: A coffin sits dockside as the bodies of the deceased are brought ashore
Source: Barbara Sartore, Jan Salmen | RESQSHIP
