Toddler dies in boat accident near Lampedusa – eight missing How much does Switzerland work compared to the rest of the world? These graphs show it

A small child has died in a new shipping accident off the coast of the Italian island of Lampedusa in the Mediterranean Sea. The girl, who was just one year and eight months old, died on Monday when a refugee boat from Tunisia capsized, authorities announced in the evening. Eight other prisoners, including two other small children, were still missing. The boat with more than fifty people on board capsized in heavy seas when Lampedusa was already in sight.

The small island is one of the hubs of irregular migration to Europe because of its close proximity to Africa. Yet the crossing with the often barely seaworthy boats is extremely dangerous. In total, almost 150,000 people have come to Italy by sea without regular papers since January. Many of the boats depart from the Tunisian port city of Sfax.

According to eyewitnesses, the little girl was on board with her mother. After the accident, despite the high waves, the woman was able to keep her child afloat until emergency services arrived. However, the girl had apparently swallowed too much seawater and was severely hypothermic. Before it could be brought into port it died. (sda/dpa)