dpa
Rome
Two people have died and one is missing after a boat accident involving migrants off the coast of Italy’s southern island of Sicily, the coast guard reported on Sunday.
Emergency services had approached a boat in distress with migrants on board. When the coast guard’s patrol boat approached, the people ended up in the water for reasons that are still unclear. According to the coast guard, 34 people were immediately taken on board and brought to the port of Syracuse, in eastern Sicily.
Of the rescued migrants, one died shortly after arriving at the port, and another person died later in a hospital. The search for the missing person at sea continues.
Authorities said the migrant boat contained people from Syria, Egypt and Bangladesh. People regularly try to reach the islands of Lampedusa, Malta, Sicily or the Italian mainland by boat via the Mediterranean. This often leads to fatal accidents and missing people. The Interior Ministry in Rome reported that nearly 33,900 people reached Italy by boat this year. During the same period last year, it was approximately 89,400.
