The search continued for at least one person missing from a migrant boat off the coast of Sicily

 The search continued on Sunday for at least one person missing from a migrant boat off the coast of Syracuse in Sicily. The Italian coast guard located a group of 34 migrants, but two from the boat died.

The Italian coast guard received a request for help late on Saturday night (August 3) from a person who told them they were on board a migrant boat in difficulty about 17 nautical miles south-east of Syracuse, in Sicily.

In a press release on Sunday (August 4), the coast guard added that the migrants on board the boat in difficulty told the coast guard they were from Syria, Egypt and Bangladesh. The coast guard sent a boat out to investigate, along with an aircraft to establish their exact position.

During the rescue operation, 34 migrants were transferred to the port of Syracusa. One person was already dead upon arrival in port. A second migrant died on being transferred to a hospital on arrival.

The coast guard later clarified that during the search and rescue operation, "for reasons yet to be established," the migrants on board the boat were in the water before being brought on board the coast guard vessel.

No reasons have yet been given for the causes of death of the two people who died, or their nationality.

Searches continued on Sunday morning for at least one person reported to be missing, who is believed to have been on board as the ship went down, soon after the surviving migrants were transferred to the coast guard vessel. It was unclear from whether the person missing counted among the 34 migrants rescued, two of whom died, or whether they were in addition to that group.

The coast guard stationed in Catania, another Sicilian town, sent ships and aircraft to aid the search.

According to Italian government figures, last updated on August 2, more than 33,896 migrants have reached Italian shores by boat since the beginning of the year. That figure, is more than half that of arrivals in the same period (January to August) last year, and slightly lower than arrival figures for 2022.

Nationals from Bangladesh make up the most frequent nationality to arrive in Italy in the first half of this year, followed by Syrians, Tunisians and people from Guinea and Egypt. The numbers of unaccompanied minors successfully making the Mediterranean crossing has also significantly reduced this year. Over the whole of last year, 18,820 unaccompanied minors were registered as arriving in Italy. In 2024 so far, the figure is just 4,188, for data up to August 2.

According to the Italian news agency ANSA, a further 21 migrants arrived in Pozzallo on Sicily on Sunday. One of those arrivals was taken straight to hospital in Modica with a fever, possibly stemming from a knee infection, reported ANSA.

The NGO rescue ship Humanity 1, operated by the organization SOS Humanity, docked in the port of Civitavecchia, not far from Rome. The ship’s crew helped to disembark 58 migrants they had saved off the coast of Libya on August 1. On board the ship, reported ANSA, there were 12 unaccompanied minors.

The crew of Humanity 1 posted on X that they couldn’t see any reason why they had been compelled to disembark the rescued migrants in Civitavecchia, instead of at a nearer port on Sicily or in southern Italy.

Another private rescue ship, the Geo Barents, operated by the medical humanitarian charity Doctors without Borders (MSF), is on its way towards the port of Ravenna, where it expects to disembark 73 rescued migrants, including four minors.

According to ANSA, the numbers of arrivals in Italy has dropped by 60 percent compared to last year. However, the director of SOS Mediterranee Italy, Valeria Taurino, told ANSA that her organization believed that the numbers being reported by the Ministry of the Interior are "partial." Taurino said that "lots of people are attempting the Mediterranean crossing, and many don’t ever arrive on the Italian coasts. Some because their boats get into difficulty, and sometimes because they are being intercepted by the Libyan and Tunisian coast guards."

Taurino said that her organization believes that the reduction in the numbers arriving in Italy is a direct result of the "containment" policy operated by Italy, in conjunction with its Mediterranean partners, like Tunisia and Libya. "This is all happening because they are essentially ignoring international conventions and human rights," explained Taurino.