Cyclone Harry Mediterranean Tragedy: Hundreds Feared Dead in Shipwrecks
The Italian coastguard has issued a devastating estimate that up to 380 people may have drowned last week while attempting to cross the Mediterranean Sea during Cyclone Harry. The powerful storm, which generated enormous waves across the region, lashed the eastern coast of Sicily and battered Malta, creating treacherous conditions for migrant vessels.
Confirmed Shipwreck Claims Fifty Lives
In one confirmed incident, Maltese authorities reported a shipwreck on Friday that claimed the lives of fifty individuals. According to details released, just one person survived this tragedy – a man who was hospitalised in Malta after being rescued by a merchant ship. He had reportedly clung to the wreckage of the vessel for twenty-four hours before being found.
The survivor indicated that everyone else aboard the boat, which had departed from Tunisia on 20 January, had perished. This information was relayed by Alarm Phone, an organisation that operates a hotline for people in distress at sea.
Separate Tragedy Claims Lives of Infant Twins
In a separate and particularly heartbreaking incident last week, one-year-old twin girls from Guinea are presumed to have died off the coast of Lampedusa, the Sicilian island. According to the Italy unit for Unicef’s migrant and refugee response, the overcrowded boat they were travelling on was battered by Cyclone Harry's fierce conditions.
Coastguard Search for Missing Vessels
Italy’s coastguard has been conducting extensive searches for eight vessels that were launched by people smugglers from the Tunisian port city of Sfax during the past ten days. These departures occurred despite the clearly dangerous weather conditions created by the cyclone.
The coastguard's estimate of 380 potential drownings specifically relates to individuals who set sail from Tunisia during the cyclone's peak. The storm generated the huge Mediterranean waves that made any crossing attempt exceptionally perilous.
Broader Context of Mediterranean Crossings
According to figures from Italy’s interior ministry, 66,296 people arrived by boat on Italian coastlines during 2025. This represents a slight decrease from the previous year but is approximately half the number of arrivals recorded in 2023.
The reduction follows measures implemented by Italy’s far-right government, which either reinforced or enacted deals with Libya and Tunisia aimed at stemming the flow of migrants. Additionally, there are fewer NGO rescue ships operating in the Mediterranean due to a government crackdown that includes fines and mandates requiring disembarkation at distant ports rather than closer ones like those in Sicily.
Persistent High-Risk Journeys
Despite these hardline measures, people continue to attempt the high-risk journey from north Africa in search of refuge in Europe. Italy remains one of the main landing points, with the central Mediterranean route considered one of the world’s most dangerous migration paths.
The UN’s International Organization for Migration has registered at least 25,600 deaths and disappearances among people attempting this crossing since 2014. Most of these tragedies are attributed to boats departing from either Tunisia or Libya, highlighting the ongoing humanitarian crisis in the region even as political measures attempt to address it.
The combination of severe weather events like Cyclone Harry with the already dangerous conditions of irregular migration creates perfect storms of tragedy, as evidenced by last week’s devastating losses in the Mediterranean waters.
