大象传媒

The latest migrant boat sinking disaster in the Mediterranean has claimed at least 41 lives off the coast of the Italian island of Lampedusa. A group of four survivors told rescuers that their boat had set off from Sfax in Tunisia and sank on its way to Italy.

Elizia Volkmann, a freelance journalist on board the Humanity 1 rescue ship, which is currently in the Mediterranean Sea, spoke to the 大象传媒 about the risks migrants take and the rescue operations that have taken place recently.

"I spoke to someone who was part of a group of people in one of these iron boats...these are very, very dangerous small boats, they're being built out of scrap metal...they're little more than a bathtub with a very weak outboard motor, no steering," says Volkmann.

"It's a multi-million dinar business for the traffickers," says Volkmann, adding, "The Italian coast guard is really overwhelmed with calls. They are reaching out to civilian sector search and rescue for support...but during the storm a number of the civilian boats had already performed rescues and they had been given ports of safety and headed back."

(Photo: Health officials take temperatures as 194 migrants after being rescued by the Spanish NGO Open Arms near Lampedusa, Italy, 06 August, 2023. Credit: Getty Images)

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