Rome CNN —Forty-one people reportedly died in a migrant shipwreck near the Italian island of Lampedusa, survivors say, the latest tragedy amid a spike in efforts in people making the dangerous sea crossing from North Africa to Europe.
The survivors told the Red Cross that the migrant boat left Sfax, Tunisia several days ago.
They said they were wearing life jackets and were able to crawl on a remnants of a different shipwrecked boat, according to the Red Cross.
Lampedusa, not far from Sicily and the closest Italian island to Africa, is a major destination for migrants seeking to enter European Union countries.
On Sunday, three bodies were recovered, including a 3-year-old child and a pregnant woman, and at least 30 people were missing after two migrant boats sank off the Italian island, the Italian Coast Guard said in a statement.
Persons:
Rome, Rome CNN —, Giorgia Meloni
Organizations:
Rome CNN, Italian Coast Guard, CNN, European Union
Locations:
Lampedusa, North Africa, Europe, Sfax, Tunisia, Italy, Sicily, Africa