Migrant boats capsize off Italian coast, killing at least 27

More than 700 have died crossing the central Mediterranean in 2025, according to the UN reugee agency.

Watch LiveBritish Broadcasting CorporationHomeNewsSportBusinessInnovationCultureArtsTravelEarthAudioVideoLiveHomeNewsIsrael-Gaza WarWar in UkraineUS & CanadaUKUK PoliticsEnglandN. IrelandN. Ireland PoliticsScotlandScotland PoliticsWalesWales PoliticsAfricaAsiaChinaIndiaAustraliaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle EastIn PicturesBBC InDepthBBC VerifySportBusinessExecutive LoungeTechnology of BusinessFuture of BusinessInnovationTechnologyScience & HealthArtificial IntelligenceAI v the MindCultureFilm & TVMusicArt & DesignStyleBooksEntertainment NewsArtsArts in MotionTravelDestinationsAfricaAntarcticaAsiaAustralia and PacificCaribbean & BermudaCentral AmericaEuropeMiddle EastNorth AmericaSouth AmericaWorld’s TableCulture & ExperiencesAdventuresThe SpeciaListEarthNatural WondersWeather & ScienceClimate SolutionsSustainable BusinessGreen LivingAudioPodcast CategoriesRadioAudio FAQsVideoLiveLive NewsLive SportHomeNewsSportBusinessInnovationCultureArtsTravelEarthAudioVideoLiveWeatherNewslettersWatch LiveDozens of migrants killed after boats capsize off Italian coast 2 days agoShareSaveFiona NimoniBBC NewsShareSaveGetty ImagesMigrants disembark from a boat that rescued them after two vessels sank off the coast of Italy's Lampedusa islandAt least 27 migrants have died after two boats capsized as they tried to cross the Mediterranean from Libya to Italy.

Around 60 survivors were rescued from the seas off the island of Lampedusa, while the search for others continues.

More than 700 people have died trying to cross the central Mediterranean this year, according to the UN's refugee agency (UNHCR).

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni offered her "deepest condolences" to the victims. A UNHCR spokesperson said there was "deep anguish" felt over the incident.

More than 90 people were aboard the two boats before they capsized, Flavio Di Giacomo, spokesperson for the UN's International Organisation for Migration (IOM) said.