On June 17, 2024, the Italian Coast Guard launched a search operation off Italy’s southern coast following the shipwreck of a sailboat carrying migrants believed to have departed from Turkey. The incident occurred approximately 120 miles from the Italian coastline, at the boundary of the Search and Rescue (SAR) areas managed by Greece and Italy.
The rescue mission was initiated after a distress call from a French vessel reported a half-submerged boat in the Mediterranean Sea. Twelve migrants were rescued from the vessel and transported to the Calabrian port of Roccella Jonica, where they received medical attention. Unfortunately, one of the rescued migrants subsequently died.
The Italian Maritime Rescue Coordination Center (IMRCC) in Rome coordinated the operation, diverting two nearby merchant ships and receiving assistance from the European Border and Coast Guard Agency, Frontex. The exact number of missing migrants remains unclear.