The Italian Coast Guard recovered six bodies and was searching for up to 40 additional migrants that were missing when the rubber dinghy they were in sank in the Mediterranean, the UN refugee agency in Italy said. The migrants departed Tuesday, March 18 from Tunisia.
Ten people were rescued Tuesday and brought to Italy’s southernmost island of Lampedusa. The Red Cross reported they were in good physical condition, and were receiving psychological care.
Survivors said that approximately 56 people were in the dinghy when it departed from the Tunisian port of Sfax on Monday evening March 17, the UNHCR reported. The boat started to deflate after only a few hours from departure. The people on board were from Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Guinea and Mali, the UNHCR said.