Italy brings 4 boat migrants ashore amid row over teenager’s death

The Italian coastguard has brought four migrants in need of help ashore following the death of a 17-year-old boy on a German rescue ship in the Mediterranean.

The four men, who are from Ethiopia and Eritrea, were brought to the island of Lampedusa by the Sea-Watch 5 private rescue ship on Thursday, according to the authorities.

They had previously been taken on board by the German aid organization Sea-Watch from an overcrowded wooden boat in international waters, along with around 50 other refugees.

According to the aid workers, a 17-year-old suffered a cardiac arrest and died on board the rescue vessel on Wednesday.

Sea-Watch held Italy, Malta, and Tunisia partly responsible for this, saying that the various national authorities had ignored all requests for the boy to be evacuated quickly for medical reasons.

The Italian coastguard has rejected the accusations and says the ship was more than 200 kilometres away from Lampedusa when the distress calls were made, far outside their area of responsibility.

The German sea rescue centre in Bremen had advised the Sea-Watch 5 to sail to Tunisia for rapid assistance.

People often die in the Mediterranean on their way from Africa to Europe in boats that are often barely seaworthy.

Italy has registered around 5,000 boat people since the beginning of 2024.

A year ago, there were almost three times as many by the beginning of March.

The small Italian island of Lampedusa, near Sicily and Malta, is one of the most important reception centres.

Most of the boats that arrive there come from Tunisia.