Italian search-and-rescue vessels are continuing to comb seas south of Lampedusa after two overcrowded migrant boats capsized on 13 August. The coast guard said at least 27 bodies have been recovered while roughly a dozen, and possibly as many as 50, people remain unaccounted for. About 60 survivors—including 21 minors—were landed on the island and taken to the local reception centre, according to the Italian Red Cross. Four of the rescued were flown to Sicily for medical treatment; the remainder were described as being in stable condition. Initial testimony indicates that some 95–100 migrants, mainly from Somalia and Egypt, departed the Tripoli area in Libya aboard two small vessels. When one began taking on water, passengers clambered onto the second craft, which then overturned in choppy seas about 23 km off Lampedusa. A newborn is among the confirmed dead. The International Organization for Migration and the U.N. refugee agency are supporting relief efforts and note that at least 675 people have already died on the central Mediterranean route this year. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni reiterated Rome’s pledge to curb human-smuggling networks, saying the disaster underscores the need to prevent departures as well as ensure rapid rescue capability.