Italian coast guard on Sunday recovered 10 bodies after a boat carrying nearly 60 refugees and migrants capsized about 45 nautical miles (83 km) east-southeast of Malta. The vessel, which had departed from Libya, broke down and a fishing boat rescued 48 people.
In a statement, the Italian coast guard said it immediately dispatched a patrol vessel to the scene and found 10 bodies. Search operations are ongoing under the coordination of Maltese authorities.
This is the latest shipwreck in a tragic series of events on the Mediterranean this year, as refugees and migrants continue to risk their lives trying to reach Europe.
According to the UN's International Organization for Migration (IOM), the start of 2026 is one of the deadliest periods on the Mediterranean since 2014. The IOM reported that at least 990 people have died attempting to cross the Mediterranean so far this year. Last year, at least 2,180 people died or went missing.
The latest deaths come as European Union politicians and member states agreed in principle on a new set of rules allowing governments to deport rejected asylum seekers to third countries. The deal, discussed on Monday, was first proposed by the European Commission in November last year.
Under the proposed framework, which still needs formal approval, "return centers" would be established outside the EU, though specific locations have not been announced. Earlier this week, hundreds of protesters gathered outside the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) headquarters in the Libyan capital Tripoli, accusing the agency of seeking to settle undocumented migrants in the country. Protesters held banners reading: "Love for our country is not racism" and "Libya is not the world's trash."
The United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) affirmed the right of all Libyans to express their views, while warning about the spread of "misinformation and hate speech" related to the UN's work in the country, which "contributes to increased tensions and incitement against national and international UN officials."
