Six migrants, including three minors aged 1, 2 and 12, have been found dead from starvation and dehydration in a boat full of people with severe burns and injuries that has been located off the coast of Sicily after a long journey from Turkey.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has reported the incident after the Italian Coast Guard located the boat and transferred the migrants to the Pozzallo post. There are 26 survivors.
"They left Turkey," International Organization for Migration (IOM) Mediterranean coordinator Flavio Di Giacomo tweeted. "It is unacceptable that people are dying of hunger and thirst at sea," he added, while advocating for "a patrol system that saves people in time."
UNHCR has recalled for its part that they are victims of "a desperate journey by sea in search of safety in Europe". "UNHCR is present at the disembarkation and is working with non-governmental organizations to ensure the necessary assistance to the survivors," he added.
In addition, the UN refugee agency has advocated the need for "a timely and efficient search and rescue mechanism." "Rescue at sea is a humanitarian imperative firmly rooted in international law," UNHCR's representative in Italy, Chiara Cardoletti, has stressed.
The death this weekend of a 4-year-old Syrian girl from dehydration has shocked Italy because she died after days at sea with no distress calls received from her boat.
At least 1,033 migrants have died this year trying to cross the Mediterranean, according to UN estimates.