A mid-seven-year-old woman dies after a boat capsizes in Lampedusa | Migration Issues

Ten more are missing after a boat carrying refugees and refugees stranded five miles from the sea.

At least seven people, including a pregnant woman, have drowned after a boat carrying refugees and refugees crashed eight kilometers from the Italian island of Lampedusa, officials said.

At least 10 other people were missing after Wednesday’s incident, said Luigi Patronaggio, a senior spokesman for the group leading the investigation.

Refugees believe they will begin their journey to Tunisia, says Patronaggio, who works with judges in the Sicilian city of Agrigento.

Lampedusa mayor Toto Martello said: “The same tragedy in the Mediterranean is heartbreaking, I wonder what else needs to happen for Italy and Europe to understand that we cannot go on like this.”

Two coastal vessels responded to the call of the boat, Italian authorities said in a statement.

As the rescuers approached, the passengers “suddenly changed” their position, possibly causing the boat to explode, he said.

Coast guards rescued about 46 people from a wreck eight feet[8 m]long, and returned them to Lampedusa, officials said.

More than 250 people arrived on a small island overnight on four ships, local media say.

Arriving in Italy has been declining in recent years, but the numbers were revisited in 2021.

About 20,000 migrants and refugees have arrived since the beginning of the year, many fleeing conflict and poverty in Africa and the Middle East.

This is compared to more than 6,700 in the same period last year, figures from the Ministry of Interior show.

Lampedusa, which is closer to Africa than Italy, is one of the Libyan landmarks.