A devastating incident unfolded in the Mediterranean Sea as at least three people, including two young children aged 3 and 4, lost their lives while attempting to cross from Libya to Italy.
According to a German sea rescue charity, RESQSHIP, the migrants were rescued on Saturday after being spotted by a surveillance aircraft from the EU border agency Frontex.
The charity rescued 59 survivors from a rubber boat that had been floating adrift south of the Italian island of Lampedusa.
The boat, which had departed from the port of Zawiya in western Libya on Wednesday, suffered engine failure after just one day, leaving its passengers vulnerable to harsh weather conditions.
RESQSHIP paramedics reported that the two children had likely died from thirst the day before their rescue, while a man was found unconscious and declared dead despite attempts to resuscitate him.
Another migrant reportedly drowned on Friday after going overboard.
Many survivors suffered chemical burns from saltwater and fuel, with two children and four adults in critical condition handed over to the Italian coast guard for urgent medical attention.
This tragic incident highlights the dangers faced by migrants traversing the central Mediterranean route, one of the world’s deadliest sea crossings, where nearly 25,000 migrants have died or gone missing since 2014.
