The rescue organisation Mediterranea Rescue says at least eight boats departed from the Sfax area between 14 and 21 January, heading towards Lampedusa as the storm swept across the route, with winds reported above 100 km/h and waves exceeding 7 metres. The group says it is now trying to trace at least 380 people who are missing.
One boat capsized and, according to reports cited by rescue networks, only one person has been pulled alive from the sea so far. The survivor was reportedly found after spending around 24 hours in the water and later transferred to Malta for medical care. Rescue monitors say the man fears that everyone else aboard his boat, more than 50 people, is dead.
Other fragments of the week’s crossings point to the scale of the risk. A metal boat reached Lampedusa with one person dead on board, while two very young twins were reported to have been swallowed by the sea during the crossing as the storm battered the waters around the island.
Rescue groups are urging the Italian and Maltese authorities to mount urgent searches for possible survivors, warning that the window to save lives is closing fast.
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