At Least Two Killed in Shipwrecks off Italian Coast

Facts

• The sinking of two ships off the Italian island of Lampedusa on Saturday has left at least two people dead and dozens more missing.¹
• The Italian coastguard said it recovered two bodies and rescued 57 survivors after the boats — believed to have sailed from Sfax, Tunisia, on Thursday — were wrecked as a result of stormy weather.²
• According to the International Organisation for Migration, at least 28 people are missing from the first boat, while three are missing from the second.³
• The Central Mediterranean crossing from North Africa to Europe is reportedly the deadliest in the world. At least 1.8K people have died attempting to traverse it so far in 2023, almost 900 more than last year.³
• More than 2K people have arrived in Lampedusa recently, after being rescued at sea by Italian patrol boats and nonprofit groups.⁴
• According to Italy’s interior ministry, nearly 92K migrants have arrived in the nation since the start of the year. During the same period in 2022, the country received about 43K migrants by sea.⁵

Sources: ¹Firstpost, ²Outlook India, ³Africa News, ⁴Al Jazeera, and ⁵FOX News.

Narratives

• Left narrative, as provided by Al Jazeera. The human traffickers smuggling migrants would have known in advance about the rough weather and dangerous seas. Whoever puts people on these boats in such hazardous conditions is a criminal without respect for human life. Moreover, Tunisia hasn't done enough to prevent migrants from making dangerous trips to Italy in pursuit of a better life.
• Right narrative, as provided by Euronews. Italy is in the midst of a severe migration problem. Hordes of people are coming unchecked into Italy, putting a strain on resources in the country and risking the security of the population. The government must do more to deter people from attempting to make the dangerous sea crossing into Europe to prevent tragedies like these, as well as to protect Italian nationals and those taking legal paths to the country.

Predictions