The Italian coast guard said it found 19 migrants dead and rescued 58 people after intercepting a dinghy in distress about 80 nautical miles from Lampedusa, the Italian island often described as a major entry point to Europe for migrants crossing the Mediterranean from North Africa.
In comments provided by coast guard spokesperson Roberto D’Arrigo, the service said the rescue occurred on Tuesday night. D’Arrigo said the Italian coast guard was operating in the Libyan search and rescue zone and that weather conditions were severe.
D’Arrigo said the sea conditions were “pretty extreme,” describing waves of more than 6-7 meters (20-23 feet). He also said the coast guard was the only unit able to intervene because there were no other ships or rescue teams in the area.
D’Arrigo said the migrants likely had departed from Libya. He described hypothermia as a likely explanation for the deaths, while adding that the cause of the deaths still needs to be verified.
The coast guard said the rescued people were brought to Lampedusa after a 10-hour trip. The agency said the survivors are in the care of local health services.
Lampedusa is the main entry point for migrants crossing the Mediterranean Sea from North Africa, where thousands have died during the perilous journey, according to the coast guard account. The service said many of the deaths have been attributed to small boats setting off from the coasts of Tunisia and Libya.
The most recent deadly shipwreck off Lampedusa before this incident happened in August of the prior year, when a boat carrying nearly 100 migrants capsized in international waters, killing at least 26 people, the coast guard said.