ROME/BERLIN: A five-month-old baby boy drowned during a rescue operation off the Italian island of Lampedusa after a boat carrying migrants across the sea from North Africa capsized, ANSA and other Italian news agencies reported on Wednesday. The tragedy occurred as migrant landings on Lampedusa surged, leaving the small island struggling to cope. About 1,850 new arrivals landed on Wednesday, bringing the total number of migrants in Lampedusa to more than 6,700, according to ANSA. The boat the baby was travelling on capsized shortly before it was intercepted by the Italian coastguard. Skirmishes between police and hundreds of migrants trying to leave the island erupted on the docks but were quickly quelled, ANSA said.

Source: The North Africa Journal September 14, 2023 01:48 UTC