At least 12 people are feared dead and dozens more missing after two ships were wrecked off the coast of southern Italy.
The victims are thought to be migrants. A rescue ship - called Nadir - run by RESQSHIP, a German aid group, managed to pick up 51 people from a sinking wooden vessel.
Two of the 51 were unconscious and a later update suggested they didn't survive. There were 10 bodies found trapped in the wooden ship's lower deck near the island of Lampedusa, an Italian island off the coast of Tunisia.
The wooden boat got into difficulty off Lampedusa and floated towards the Libyan coast "Our thoughts are with their families. We are angry and sad," RESQSHIP wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
Read more: Greek coastguard 'threw migrants overboard to their deaths'
Over 500 arrive on small boats along remote island in last few days in 'crisis'
Rescued migrants from a previous incident disembark in Italy (Antonello Lupis/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)Aid workers had to hack their way through the wooden hull with an axe to rescue those stricken in the sinking ship. They added: "Our thoughts are with the bereaved. We are angry and sad. #FortressEurope kills."
An update read: "The medical emergencies were supplied with oxygen on the Nadir until they were evacuated and brought ashore by the IT Coast Guard with the 49 survivors in the morning. The Nadir is now on its way to Lampedusa and is towing the boat with the deceased people."
The second shipwreck took place about 125 miles east of the Italian region of Calabria. That a boat that had set off from Turkey eight days earlier before catching fire and overturning, according to UN agencies. A woman is understood to have died after falling into the water.
At least 12 migrants were rescued, the Italian coastguard said. More than 50 people are still missing.
This comes as the Greek coastguard has been accused causing the deaths of dozens of migrants in the Mediterranean including nine who were deliberately thrown into the water, according to witness accounts. Analysis indicates this count includes more than 40 individuals who allegedly perished after being cast out of Greek territorial waters or expelled back to sea following arrival at Greek islands.
However, the Greek coastguard has vigorously denied any allegations of illegal activities.
The Greek government has previously faced allegations of forced returns, driving refugees back towards Turkey where they set off, which is considered illegal under the international law.
The BBC analysis looked at 15 incidents from May 2020 to 2023 that collectively resulted in 43 deaths. Primary sources included local media outlets, NGOs and the Turkish coastguard.
The shocking revelations are central to the BBC documentary - Dead Calm: Killing in The Med? - playing on BBC Two or BBC iPlayer today (Monday 17 June) at 9pm.
Nevertheless, vetting such accounts is challenging with witnesses often disappearing, or are too terrified to speak out. Yet, in four specific instances, the BBC managed to corroborate these narratives by talking with eye-witnesses.
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