More than 40 feared dead after boat sinks in Mediterranean near Lampedusa

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Four survivors who were rescued on Wednesday morning by a Maltese bulk carrier, and eventually moved to a patrol boat from the Italian coastguard, said they were on a vessel that had set off from Sfax, in Tunisia, and sank on its way to Italy’s shores.

The asylum seekers said their vessel, a precarious metal boat carrying 45 passengers, including three children, had begun to take on water as soon as they reached the open sea.

On Sunday, in a separate sinking, the bodies of a woman and toddler were recovered by the Italian coastguard after two shipwrecks overnight offLampedusa, Italy’s southernmost point.

According to interior ministry figures, more than 78,000 people have landed in Italy after crossing by boat from north Africa since the start of the year – more than double the arrivals during the same period in 2022.

The vast majority – 42,719 – had set off from Tunisia, which has surpassed Libya as the principal departure hub for migrants, and where the EU last month signed a €1bn (£860m) deal to help stem irregular migration.

The Italian prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, whose far-right government has imposed tough restrictive measures against NGO rescue ships, was a key protagonist of the deal.

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