Ten dead, rescued after migrant boat capsizes near Malta

At least ten people have died and dozens more have been rescued following the capsizing of a migrant boat in the Mediterranean Sea southeast of Malta on Sunday, June 7, 2026. Search operations for potential survivors are ongoing.

The Italian coast guard reported that the vessel, which had departed from Libya carrying approximately 60 people, overturned about 45 nautical miles east-southeast of Malta. A fishing vessel in the vicinity rescued around 48 survivors. The Italian coast guard dispatched a patrol boat at the request of Maltese authorities, which has so far recovered ten bodies. The search area is approximately 52 miles southeast of Malta, coordinated by Maltese authorities.

The central Mediterranean route from North Africa to Italy and Malta remains one of the world's most dangerous migrant passages. According to the United Nations' International Organization for Migration, at least 827 people have died attempting to cross the Mediterranean so far this year. More than 1,330 migrants died on this route last year. Since 2014, the IOM has recorded at least 34,907 migrant deaths or disappearances in the Mediterranean, the vast majority from drowning.