At least 20 migrants missing as boat sinks off Italy, seven rescued

Seven migrants were rescued, but at least 20 are missing after their boat sank en route to Italy from Libya, the mayor of the Italian island of Lampedusa said on Wednesday.

Amongst those saved was an 8-year-old Syrian boy, hoping to join his father who lives in Germany. He was accompanied by his mother on the perilous trip, but she has not been seen since the boat sank on Tuesday.

Survivors, who were brought to Lampedusa, said the missing included five women and three children.

"They didn't make it to shore. Knowing that these poor souls were so close, but couldn't make it is even more heartbreaking," said mayor Filippo Mannino.

The small boat set sail from the Libyan town of Zuwara late on Monday but got into difficulty in the early hours of Tuesday and flipped over. No bodies have yet been retrieved.

The sea migration route between Africa and Europe is one of the most dangerous in the world, with almost 24,500 disappearing or dying in the central Mediterranean since 2014, according to the International Organization for Migration.

Most of those deaths occurred on boats that set sail from Libya and Tunisia.

The Italian government has sought to reduce migrant departures, saying this will save lives at sea. In 2024, it recorded some 66,320 migrant landings, compared to 157,651 in 2023 and 105,131 in 2022.