7 Bangladeshis on a migrant boat die of hypothermia

Seven Bangladeshi migrants, who were on a boat from Libya towards the Mediterranean island of Lampedusa, have died of hypothermia, Italian Prosecutor Luigi Patronaggio said in a statement yesterday.

The coastguard saw the boat overnight some 18 miles off the coast of Lampione, an uninhabited island near Lampedusa, and rescue operations were conducted, he said, adding his office has opened an inquiry into alleged abetting of illegal migration and manslaughter, reported Reuters.

Lampedusa Mayor Salvatore Martello confirmed the death toll, adding the vessel was carrying 280 migrants, mainly from Bangladesh and Egypt.

Italy, a major route into Europe for hundreds of thousands of asylum seekers and other migrants, has seen an increase in migrant boats in recent months.

As of January 24, 1,751 migrants have disembarked on Italy's ports so far this year, according to government data.

"Three people died during the crossing, another four [who were] suffering severe hypothermia died after they were intercepted by the coast guard and were being transferred to the island," AFP quoted mayor Toto Martello as saying.

The Mediterranean Hope migration project said on Twitter that the 280 migrants hailed originally from Bangladesh, Egypt, Mali and Sudan, and "almost all of them were in a severe state of hypothermia".

The seven dead were Bangladeshi, according to Italian media reports.

"The shocking thing is there continues to be a deafening silence from the Italian government and Europe, even in the face of deaths," Martello said.

After undergoing coronavirus tests, the survivors were split between the health centre and the heavily overcrowded reception centre on the tiny island, which lies closer to Africa than Italy.

The centre, which can hold 250 migrants, currently houses over 600 people.

Just over 100 were to be transferred yesterday to a quarantine ship moored off Cala Pisana, one of the island's tourist spots.

While some 34,000 migrants arrived in Italy in 2020, that figure almost doubled to 64,500 people in 2021.

"It's become a continuous phenomenon. There's no difference any more between summer and winter, when boats didn't use to arrive," Martello said.

"This year, if the start is anything to go by, we're going to double the number for 2021".

Despite freezing temperatures and rough seas, over 1,750 people have arrived in Italy so far this month, compared to 379 in the same period last year.