Thursday August 21, 2025 {HMC} At least 23 Somali nationals drowned after two migrant boats capsized off the coast of Lampedusa, Italy, Somali officials said Wednesday.
Somalia’s ambassador to Italy, Ibrahim Omar Shegow, said 15 people were rescued after the vessels encountered technical problems en route to Italy. He urged young Somalis to avoid risking their lives on dangerous sea crossings and instead seek opportunities at home.
“The loss of these lives is tragic,” Shegow said, calling on Italian authorities to dismantle human trafficking networks that lure migrants into deadly journeys across the Mediterranean.
The International Organization for Migration estimates that more than 24,500 people have died or gone missing in the Mediterranean since 2014 while attempting to reach Europe. Lampedusa, a small island between Tunisia and Sicily, has become a key landing point for migrants making the perilous crossing from North Africa.
The deadliest single tragedy in the area occurred on Oct. 3, 2013, when a boat carrying over 500 migrants from Eritrea, Somalia and Ghana sank, killing at least 368 people.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has said her government is pushing for stronger prevention measures against illegal migration, arguing that rescue operations alone cannot address the crisis.
