Four survivors who were on a boat that sank on its route to Italy after leaving Sfax, Tunisia, told rescuers that they were on the vessel.The four survivors, who came from Guinea and the Ivory Coast, arrived in Lampedusa on Wednesday.
On the journey from North Africa to Europe so far this year, more than 1,800 individuals have perished.
Three men and a woman who survived reported rescuers they were aboard a boat with 45 people on it, three of them were children.
The boat, which was around 7 meters (20 feet) long, reportedly departed from Sfax on Thursday of last week but drowned shortly thereafter after being struck by a large wave. Only 15 persons are believed to have worn life jackets.
They stated that after being saved by a cargo ship, they were transferred to a boat belonging to the Italian coast guard.
It’s unclear whether this ship is one of the two shipwrecks in the region that the Italian coast guard reported on Sunday.
Sfax, a coastal city about 80 miles (130 km) from Lampedusa, is reportedly a well-liked entry point for migrants looking for safety and a better life in Europe.
Italian patrol vessels and humanitarian organizations have recently saved an additional 2,000 persons who have arrived on Lampedusa.
Recent months have seen a rise in attempts to depart Tunisia by boat as well as a wave of hatred directed against black Africans.
Since 2014, the central Mediterranean has seen more than 17,000 deaths and disappearances, making it the riskiest migrant crossing in the whole globe.
In an effort to stop “irregular” migration, the EU negotiated a $118 million (£90 million) agreement with Tunisia last month.
The funds will be used to improve borders, halt smuggling, and send people home.
The far-right government of Italy has implemented a policy that prevents rescue ships from disembarking rescued migrants in Lampedusa or Sicily, but instead pushes them to dock at ports that are farther away.
Although it claims that the goal is to distribute arrivals throughout the nation, NGOs claim that the strategy limits the amount of time they can spend patrolling areas where shipwrecks are more frequent.
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