Two children die in Mediterranean shipwreck, 17 rescued, says NGO

Survivors tell rescuers that boat set off with 21 people, Sea Punks added, leaving two missing

By Ag Agencies
January 27, 2025
The handout image released by the German NGO Sea Punks shows an Italian Coast Guard vessel conducts a rescue operation as they tow a boat carrying migrants in the Mediterranean Sea on January 26, 2025. —Sea Punks website
The handout image released by the German NGO Sea Punks shows an Italian Coast Guard vessel conducts a rescue operation as they tow a boat carrying migrants in the Mediterranean Sea on January 26, 2025. —Sea Punks website

MILAN: Seventeen migrants were rescued after a shipwreck in the Mediterranean, while two children died, the German NGO Sea Punks said on Sunday.

The rescue took place in the early hours of Sunday morning in the Maltese Search and Rescue (SAR) area, Sea Punks said in a statement.

One child was recovered deceased, while the Sea Punks crew medical team performed a cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) on two other children, saving one’s life. A Maltese rescue helicopter evacuated a pregnant woman and a seriously injured man, while an Italian coastguard vessel picked up the other 15 survivors and the bodies of the two children.

Survivors told rescuers that the boat set off with 21 people, Sea Punks added, leaving two missing.

Earlier, Italian news agency ANSA reported that 15 migrants had been rescued and three were found dead, with three others still missing.