At least 11 migrants have died after a boat carrying around 60 people capsized in waters off Malta, according to rescue groups and Italian authorities.
The vessel, which reportedly departed from Libya, overturned about 45 nautical miles east-southeast of Malta.
Italy’s coastguard said it recovered 10 bodies after dispatching a patrol boat to the scene.
Sea-Watch, a humanitarian rescue organisation operating in the Mediterranean, later said the death toll had risen to at least 11.
The group added that 48 survivors were rescued by a nearby fishing vessel, the Tuncay Sagun 2.
The incident is the latest tragedy along the central Mediterranean route, one of the world’s deadliest migration corridors.
As summer approaches and sea conditions improve, departures from North Africa typically increase, with migrants attempting the dangerous journey to Europe through Italy, Malta and Greece.
According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), at least 827 people have died or gone missing this year while trying to cross the central Mediterranean, among them were 14 children.
The latest shipwreck comes as European governments continue to grapple with migration challenges. In Italy, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s government has introduced tougher measures aimed at reducing irregular migration, cracking down on human trafficking networks and tightening asylum rules.
Italian Interior Ministry data show that about 12,000 migrants have arrived in the country by sea so far in 2026, less than half the nearly 25,000 recorded during the same period last year.
Authorities are continuing efforts to establish the full circumstances surrounding the capsizing and to account for all those who were on board.
