Hundreds Feared Dead or Missing Crossing Mediterranean, UN Agency Says

Hundreds of people are feared dead or missing after attempting to cross the Mediterranean Sea, following reports of multiple shipwrecks over the past ten days amid severe weather, the United Nations migration agency said on Monday.

“The final toll may be significantly higher, a stark reminder that this route remains the deadliest migration corridor in the world,” the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said in a statement.

Three people — including twin girls about one year old — were confirmed dead in Lampedusa, Italy, after a search-and-rescue operation for a boat that departed from Sfax, Tunisia. According to the IOM, the victims died of hypothermia, as reported by their Guinean mother, who survived the journey. A man from the same boat also died from exposure.

Survivors said another vessel left Tunisia at the same time but never arrived, and its fate remains unknown.

Over the past ten days, several boats are believed to have gone missing during a violent Mediterranean storm linked to Cyclone Harry, leaving hundreds unaccounted for. Search and rescue operations have been severely hampered by poor weather conditions.

The IOM is also verifying reports from survivors rescued near Malta by a commercial ship, who said at least 50 people may be dead or missing following another shipwreck. In a separate incident, 51 people are feared dead after a wreck off the coast of Tobruk, Libya.

“Smuggling migrants on unseaworthy and overcrowded boats is a criminal act,” the agency said.

“Organizing departures during a severe storm makes this conduct even more reprehensible, as people were knowingly sent to sea under conditions that posed a near-certain risk of death,” it added.

In 2025, at least 1,340 migrants died while attempting to cross the Central Mediterranean, according to IOM data.