Italy migrant shipwreck toll rises to 34 as more bodies found

The boat was believed to be sailing from Turkey when it caught fire and sank

The bodies of 14 migrants killed in a shipwreck off Italy have been recovered, the Italian coastguard said on Friday, taking the number of people killed in the tragedy to 34.

The ship sank about 200km east of Calabria, at the tip of Italy’s boot, as it caught fire and overturned, humanitarian agencies have said.

“Today, 14 bodies were recovered from the coastguard vessels Dattilo and Corsi. A total of 34 bodies were retrieved” since search operations began, the coastguard statement said.

Air and sea searches have continued for the missing, the coastguard statement said.

The coastguard had on Thursday reported finding another 12 bodies, including women and children.

Medical charity Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said earlier this week that survivors had reported 66 people missing, including at least 26 children. Afghan families were among the missing, MSF said.

More than 3,150 migrants died or disappeared in the Mediterranean Sea last year, according to the UN’s International Organisation for Migration. More than 1,000 have died or are missing so far this year.

The area between North Africa and Italy and Malta is the deadliest known migration route in the world, accounting for 80 per cent of the deaths and disappearances in the central Mediterranean.

Many migrants set off by boat from Tunisia or Libya, with Italy often their first port of call.

Arrivals have dropped considerably this year, with almost 24,500 people landing in Italy so far, compared to more than 58,600 in the same period in 2023, according to the interior ministry.