About 1,000 migrants may have gone missing in the central Mediterranean during extreme weather conditions caused by Cyclone Harry in mid-January, according to the Italian NGO Mediterranea Saving Humans.
The NGO said testimonies collected by Refugees in Libya and Tunisia point to what could be one of the deadliest tragedies on the central Mediterranean migration route in recent years, accusing Italian and Maltese authorities of a lack of information and rescue efforts.
“The contours of the greatest tragedy in recent years are taking shape along the central Mediterranean routes, and the governments of Italy and Malta remain silent and do nothing,” Laura Marmorale, president of Mediterranea Saving Humans, said in a statement yesterday.
Read Also: Dangote, NNPCL seal gas supply deal
According to official information transmitted via satellite telecommunications company Inmarsat messages by Rome’s Maritime Rescue Coordination Center, at least 380 people were reported missing at sea as of Jan. 24.
The alert covered eight separate search and rescue cases involving boats that departed from the Tunisian city of Sfax between Jan. 14 and Jan. 21. Those boats reportedly carried a total of around 380 migrants, including women and children.
As of Jan. 24, none of the vessels had been located, and no confirmed rescues had been reported, according to the NGO.
The departures coincided with severe weather conditions in the central Mediterranean, including waves exceeding 7 meters (22 feet) and wind gusts of more than 54 knots, attributed to Cyclone Harry.
The group said these were among the most dangerous maritime conditions recorded in the area in the past two decades.