At least 11 dead after migrant boat capsizes off Malta

The Italian coastguard says the vessel started from Libya carrying around 60 people

French gendarmes on a boat approach a group of migrants on an inflatable dinghy to accompany them as they leave the coast of northern France in an attempt to cross the English Channel to reach Britain as tougher migration controls were announced, from the beach of Petit-Fort-Philippe in Gravelines, near Calais, France, Jul 17, 2025. REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes/File Photo

At least 11 people have died after a migrant boat capsized in waters off Malta, charity group Sea-Watch said on Monday, while around 50 more were rescued at sea by a fishing vessel in the area.

On Sunday, the Italian coastguard said the vessel had departed from Libya carrying around 60 people before overturning about 45 nautical miles east-southeast of Malta. Rome dispatched a patrol boat to the area, saying it had initially recovered 10 bodies.

Sea-Watch said on social media platform X that the death toll was at least 11, adding that 48 survivors had been rescued by the vessel Tuncay Sagun 2.

As the summer season approaches, migrant departures typically rise along the North Africa-Europe route, with Italy, Malta and Greece the nearest landing points for those attempting the perilous sea crossing.

According to the UN's International Organization for Migration, at least 827 people have died or are missing so far this year while attempting to cross the central Mediterranean, including 14 children.

In Italy, the government of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has taken a hard line against irregular arrivals, approving measures to curb human trafficking and make it more difficult for migrants to obtain asylum.

Some 12,000 people have disembarked in Italy so far in 2026, interior ministry data show, less than half the nearly 25,000 reported in the same period in 2025.