The bodies of a woman and toddler were recovered by the Italian coastguard after two shipwrecks overnight off the southern island of Lampedusa.
Fifty-seven people were rescued and more than 30 were believed to be missing as of Sunday afternoon in what was described as “more tragic news” regarding those making the perilous journey across the Mediterranean in search of refuge in Europe.
Citing accounts from survivors, Italian media reported that the two boats had departed from Sfax, in Tunisia, and had sunk in rough seas.
The first vessel had 48 people onboard, of whom 43 were rescued. The second boat was carrying 42 passengers, of whom 14 were rescued. Many of those on one of the boats are believed to be from sub-Saharan Africa, according to Italian media.
The survivors were rescued about 25 miles south-west of Lampedusa, which for years has been the first port of call for thousands of people making the treacherous journey by sea from north Africa. The child victim was just 18 months old, according to Italian news reports.
The Italian Red Cross, which runs the asylum-seeker reception centre in Lampedusa, said on Sunday that the survivors were “drained” from the shipwrecks and suffering from psychological trauma.
Rosario Valastro, the president of the Italian Red Cross, told Ansa news agency: “This is more tragic news regarding the lives of people who take long journeys in prohibitive conditions.”
Twenty people have been stranded for two days on a high cliff after the boat they were on crashed into rocks off Lampedusa. Rescue efforts have been hampered by strong winds, Corriere della Sera reported on Sunday.
According to interior ministry figures, over 78,000 people have landed in Italy after crossing by boat from north Africa since the start of the year – more than double the arrivals during the same period in 2022.
The vast majority – 42,719 – had set off from Tunisia, where the EU last month signed a €1bn (£860m) deal to help stem irregular migration.
The Italian prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, whose far-right government has imposed tough restrictive measures against NGO rescue ships, was a key protagonist of the deal.
An interior ministry spokesperson recently told the Guardian: “Those who flee war are entitled to seek asylum in Europe – that is sacred – but economic migrants, those who are here illegally, must be returned to their countries of origin.”
Most of the arrivals to Italy so far this year have landed in Sicily and in particular Lampedusa, where more than 2,000 people have arrived in the past few days after being rescued by Italian patrol boats and NGO ships.
The reception centre in Lampedusa was packed with 2,412 people on Sunday – more than 2,000 above its official capacity, Ansa reported.
The anti-immigration measures imposed by Meloni’s government since it took power in October included fining NGO rescue ships up to €50,000 if they flout a rule to request a port and sail to it immediately after undertaking one rescue instead of remaining at sea to rescue people from other boats in difficulty.
Several rescues have therefore resulted in ships being granted ports in central and northern Italy, forcing them to make longer journeys and therefore reducing their time at sea saving lives.
NGO group Open Arms said on Sunday that it had finally begun the disembarkation of 195 people rescued at sea in the southern Italian port of Brindisi after more than two days of sailing in rough seas.
Ninety-three people died when the boat they were travelling on sank in rough seas off Cutro, a beach town in Calabria, in late February. It was the deadliest migrant shipwreck to occur so close to Italy’s shore since 368 people lost their lives after a sinking off Lampedusa in October 2013.
