Mediterranean Sea Tragedy As Two Children Under 5 Drown

A migration tragedy unfolded in the Mediterranean as two children lost their lives during a perilous journey seeking safety.

Quick Takes

A refugee boat malfunction led to the deaths of four people, including two children.
62 migrants, found by RESQSHIP’s vessel NADIR, faced severe conditions.
The Mediterranean is the deadliest migration route, with tens of thousands of fatalities.
RESQSHIP criticized European policies for contributing to the tragedy.

Tragedy in the Mediterranean

A German charity, RESQSHIP, has reported a tragic incident involving the deaths of four people, including two small children, during a refugee journey in the Mediterranean. The migrants departed from western Libya on an overcrowded rubber dinghy with a failing engine. RESQSHIP’s vessel, NADIR, found 62 migrants drifting in international waters under Malta’s search and rescue responsibility but arrived too late to save two children aged 3 and 4.

Every year, thousands of people risk their lives to cross the Mediterranean on boats not fit for the sea in a desperate journey to find safety.

And every year, Seafarers save thousands of lives. #SeafarersAreKeyWorkers pic.twitter.com/mFC1m92bix

— UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency (@Refugees) June 25, 2020

The children likely succumbed to dehydration, and a fourth person drowned during the voyage. It took approximately four hours after RESQSHIP’s contact for an Italian coast guard vessel to reach the scene, evacuating six individuals in critical condition, including two infants and their mothers. The remaining survivors, suffering from extensive burns caused by saltwater and fuel, were taken to the Italian island of Lampedusa.

The Broader Crisis

RESQSHIP criticized European migration policies, stating that the tragedy could have been prevented. They emphasized the failure to provide coordinated support and safe passage for migrants. The organization stated the deaths reflect a larger failure. RESQSHIP highlighted the growing dangers of the central Mediterranean route where nearly 32,000 people have died or disappeared since 2014, with over 500 deaths this year alone.

“This tragedy could have been avoided. It is yet another example of the failure of European migration policies. Instead of coordinating support and facilitating safe passages, Europe is abandoning defenseless people—with deadly consequences. Children dying of thirst on the move is an inexcusable political failure,” said RESQSHIP in a statement.

The perils of such journeys often mirror broader drivers behind forced migration, including geopolitical conflicts and increasing climate-induced displacement. The Italian island of Lampedusa remains a critical entry point for migrants moving from North Africa to Europe, a journey that has become increasingly hazardous despite EU efforts to mitigate it with agreements with Libya and Tunisia.

“When the sea breathes, we stop breathing”

These words are from a young man who endured multiple ordeals on his journey to the UK. After crossing the border to a neighboring country, he was taken hostage by traffickers. Although he managed to escape after five months, he…

— Hyab Yohannes (@HyabYohannes) April 8, 2023

Searching for Solutions

Despite the ongoing tragedy at sea, policy solutions remain insufficient. RESQSHIP managed to rescue 59 survivors, and a Frontex surveillance aircraft located the dinghy south of Lampedusa, but systemic issues persist. With the dinghy’s engine breakdown leaving passengers exposed for days, issues of safety and humanitarian responsibility within international waters are once again in the spotlight. Organizations continue urging European institutions and countries to reassess and reform their approach to migration.

As long as the pressures prompting these desperate voyages persist, the Mediterranean will likely remain a focal point of human tragedy. With global attention on these migration crises, the demand for substantive policy change grows more urgent.