A boat carrying 45 people, including three children, capsized in the Mediterranean Sea, leading to 41 deaths on August 3.

The boat had set sail from the Tunisian city of Sfax, known as a hub for migrant smuggling. A few hours into the journey, the boat faced challenging waters and subsequently sank. Four survivors, from Ivory Coast and Guinea, were rescued by a cargo ship, but their rescue operation was later handled by the crew of an Italian coast guard vessel, and they were brought to the Italian island of Lampedusa .

Data from Italy’s Interior Ministry shows that around 93,700 migrants have reached Italy by sea this year, with many hailing from Guinea and Ivory Coast. In a related incident, a boat with 57 passengers capsized in Tunisian waters. The Tunisian Coast Guard managed to rescue two people and recover 11 bodies, with 44 passengers still missing. 

Efforts by the Italian government to engage the European Union in stopping smuggling operations from Tunisia have not yet yielded results.